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THE HOP 

Its Culture and Cure 
Marketing" and Manufacture 






A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK ON THE 
MOST APPROVED METHODS IN GROW- 
ING, HARVESTING, CURING AND SELL- 
ING HOPS, AND ON THE USE AND 
MANUFACTURE OF HOPS 

"By HERBERT MYRICK 



Editor American Agriculturist, Author of " Tobacco 
Leaf," "The American Sugar Industry," "IIow 
to Co-operate," '• Money Crops," etc., etc. 

Assisted by practical experts in successful hop 
culture in America, England and Europe, dealers in 
hops and manufacturers, and by specialists in the 
sciences 



PROFUSELY ILLUSTRATED 

ORANGE JUDD COMPANY 

New York Springfield, Mass Chicago, III 

1S99 



35660 



Copyright 189<J 

BY 

ORANGE JUDD COMPANY 



i'WOCOPI&b N&CEIVeO. 




^^'.-Tr 



JUN 52 11899 )) 

|!^er of Gov ^^'^^^-^ 







1 . .-. /-^ 



ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 



In the preparation of this work the author has had 
the co-operation of many of the leading hop growers 
and dealers in two continents, to whom his debt is most 
gratefully acknowledged for facts, experiences and 
photographs. The United States department of agri- 
culture has furnished certain illustrations, while official 
statistics and returns have been supplied by the United 
States treasury department, the English board of 
agriculture and the German foreign office. The 
somewhat scanty literature on the subject has been 
freely drawn upon, including nearly all the works listed 
in our bibliography. During the past fifteen years that 
the author has been collecting data on this subject, in 
connection with "Our Hop Growers' Exchange" 
department in Anicricau Agriculturist, many invaluable 
statements have been received and these have also been 
fully employed, particularly numerous essays of 
practical men on the cost of growing hops. Special 
services have been rendered that should have special 
recognition. 

From the state of Washington came important 
helps by E. Meeker and James Hart, also Major R. M. 
Hornsby of British Columbia. Oregon: A. J. Wolcott, 
H. J. Ottenheimer. California: Lilienthal & Co.*of San 
Francisco, and the Pleasanton Hop Company afforded 
every possible assistance in the way of photographs, 
statistics of coast crops, etc.; Daniel Flint, the hop 
pioneer, was a liberal contributor from his experience; 
also L. F. Long and others, while Horst Brothers 
placed at our disposal all the experience and resources 



VI THE HOP. 

of their various hop plantations. New York: James 
F. Clark, the largest hop grower in the state; W. A. 
Lawrence, Editor W. S. Hawkins of the Waterville 
Times, Secretary Fox of the New York city hop trade. 

In England, the London hop dealers extended 
every assistance, also numerous growers. All the 
results of the scientific experiments conducted at the 
Southeastern agricultural college at Wye, in Kent, 
were generously made available for this work by Presi- 
dent Flail. Editor E. H. Elvy of the Kentish Observer 
aided with valuable data and pictures. Editor Iron- 
monger's work in the English Hop Grozver (a useful 
journal, now defunct), has also been an important aid, 
and he has contributed otherwise to this book. As 
secretary of the National Association of English Hop 
Growers, Mr. Thomas Ironmonger has also rendered 
much valuable assistance. Special credit should be 
given to Charles Whitehead's works. 

In Europe, we are under special obligations to 
C. Beckenhaupt of Alsace, Von Barth & Co., the 
Nuremberg merchants. Editor Fairt of the Deiitscheu 
Hopfenbau Verein, and many others. 

Dr. L. O. Howard, chief of the division of ento- 
mology of the United States department of agriculture, 
prepared the most of the admirable chapter on hop 
insects. Dr. H. W. Wiley, chief of the division of 
chemistry, aided in preparing the chemistry of the hop 
plant, as presented by E. E. Ewell, assistant in that 
division. N. F. Walter's glossary of hop terms is a 
distinct contribution to technical literature. C. F. 
Dalton deserves much credit for assistance in putting 
the book to press. 

In all modesty, therefore, this book may be accept- 
ed as a comprehensive treatise on its special topic. 
Particular pains have been taken to make it strictly 
accurate, so that it may be the authority upon all points 
pertaining to hops of which it treats. 



TABLE OF CONTENTS 



Chapter I. — Origin and Spread of Hop Culture: 

Eurly History of llie Crop— Development, of the Industry— 
ClKin^es it lias undergone— Its Present Condition and Fu- 
ture Prospects. 

Chapter II. — Peculiarities of the Industry: 

Special Cliaractei islics and Uncertainties of the Hop Crop 
lliat make it Unique — Etfect of Substitutes, Adulteration, 
Taxation, Consumption. Climate, Insects, Fuuffi, Wide Fluc- 
t-uations in Prices, etc. — Use of the Hop (strobile), the Vine 
and Root. 

Chapter III. — Characteristics of the Plant: 

Botanical Characterisi ics— Different iation— Confusion of 
Varieties — Male and Female Hops — The Priiujipal Kinds — 
Seedless Hops, Varieties — What Constitutes Quality in Hops. 

Chapter IV. — Composition of the Hop Plant and its Fruit. 

Characteristics of Lupulin— Varieties in Composition— The 
Chemistry of Hops. 

Chapter V. — The Climate and Soil for Hops: 

Preparation of Soil— Pectdiar Climatic Conditions Required 
—Necessity of I'roper Soil— The Kinds that Give Best Re 
sidts, and Wliy— How to Prepare tlie Land for a new Planta- 
tion — Aniericari and Foreign Methods. 

Chapter VI.— Feeding the Hop Plant: 

Special Requirements — AVhat Hops take from the Soil — 
Effect of Different Eiemenis of Plant Food on Quantity and 
Quality— Various Manures and Manurial Substances— Com- 
mercial Fertilizers and Afrricult nral Chemicals — Fornuilas 
for Hop Mixtuies — When ai <t How to Apply Fertilization. 

Chapter VII. — Laying Out a Hop Yard— Training the 
Vines: 

Direction of Rows— Distance Apart— Training on Poles, 
Vines, Strinj^s, etc. — American vs. English, French and 
German Systems. 

Chapter VIII.— Planting and Culture: 

starting Plants— Selection and Care of Roots— How to Plant 
Them — fare of New Plantations the First Year — Treatment 
of Old Yards — Plowing, Grubbing, Cultivating, Hoeing, 
Laying By, etc. 

Chapter IX.— Methods of the Pleasanton Hop Company: 

Full Details of the Modus Operandi Practiced by one of the 
Largest Hop Growers in the World. 

Chapter X.— Pests of the Crop: 

Its Insect Enemies Fullv Treated by L. O. Howard— Blights, 
Rusts and other Fungi— Hail, Wind, Frost, etc.— Practical 
Directions for Combating all these Pests. 

vii 



Vlii THE HOP. 



Chapter XI.— Harvesting the Crop: 

When to Pick the Hops — Maturity vs. Other Conditions — 
Management of Pickers — Full Account of all Details. 

Chapter XII.— Kilns for Curing Hops: 

German and English Oast Houses— Old and New Curing 
Houses in America— Modern Curing Establishment on the 
Pacific Coast— With many illustrations of every detail. 

Chapter XIII.— Curing, Cooling and Baling Hops: 

Scientific and Practical Directions Covering every step of 
the Process — Management of the Curing Process— Sulphur- 
ing or Bleaching — Baling Hops — Many Additional Notes on 
Curing. 

Chapter XIV.— Grading, Sampling and Marketing: 

The Grades of Hops in American and English Markets — 
Sampling Hops Preparatory to Selling — Necessity of Honest 
Packing and Grading — Marketing the Hop— When to Sell to 
the Best Advantage— Factors Affecting Prices — Storing, Pre- 
serving or Extracting Hops. 

Chapter XV.— Concentration in Hop Growing: 

Evolution of the Industry on the Pacific Coast— Consoli- 
dation of Hop Ranches Under a Single Management — 
Example of the Horst Brothers. 

Chapter XVI.— Expenses and Profits: 

Itemized Accounts of Cost of Production in America, Eng- 
land and Europe — Profits and Losses. 

Appendix: 

Tables in Detail— Statistics of Area, Yield and Prices in 
Various Countries— Glossary of Terms Used by N. F. Walter. 
— Bibliography— Miscellaneous. 



THK HOP 

CHAPTER I 

ORIGIN AND SPREAD OF HOP CULT^URE 




OR more than a thousand 
years the virtues of hops 
have been recorded, and this 
remarkable plant has doubt- 
less been cultivated since al- 
most prehistoric times. Cer- 
tainly more than 500 years 
have gone since domesticat- 
ed hops were brewed in mid- 
dle Europe, but the wild 
hops were used much earlier, 
and are brewed in Styria to the present day. Long be- 
fore Columbus sailed the pathless sea, the wild hop was 
well established in England, but came into prominence 
only after its culture was introduced into Kent by 
Flemish immigrants about 1524. 

Though this plant grows luxuriantly throughout 
the temperate regions, such are its peculiarities that 
the commercial crop has been confined to nearly the 
same localities in England and Europe from earliest 
times. Kentish growers have held first place ever 
since Parliament legalized this industry in 1554, and 
while the area under hops in England has fluctuated 
materially during the past century, the crop has been 
confined to essentially the same districts. America has 
witnessed the same tendency of commercial hop grow- 
ing to concentrate. Though introduced into the New 

1 



2 



THE HOP. 



Netherlands in 1629, and into Virginia about 1648, and 
encouraged by special legislation until 1657, hop cul- 
ture has assumed importance in the United States only 
since 1800. As the industry developed, it centered in 
New York state, though many hops were grown in 
Wisconsin after the Civil war, but of late years certain 
districts on the Pacific coast have proven to be so 
adapted to this crop as to seriously threaten the older 
established hop yards on both sides of the Atlantic. 

Hops are raised for family and medicinal purposes 
in other states of America and other countries, but the 
commercial crop is now nearly confined to certain lim- 
ited sections, as it has been for many years, the modern 
development on the Pacific coast excepted. The sta- 
tistical tables in the appendix show that the average 
area devoted to this crop during the closing decade of 
the century may be thus roughly stated: 



Foreign. 


Acres. , 


American. 


Acres. 


Germany 


1(!0,000 

55,000 

37,000 

7,000 

11,000 


iNew York 


25 000 


England 


'(^al i lorn ia 


7 000 


Austria 


()ret'on 


15,000 


France 

Otiier 


Washingloit. 

Odier 


0,500 
1,000 




Total 


Total 


210,000 


54,500 







World's average aggregate 265,000 acres. 



FOREIGN HOP PLANTATIONS 

Germany — Although this country produces the 
bulk of the hops grown on the continent, the number 
of large plantations is limited. The hops are grown 
usually in comparatively small fields, and in rrany 
cases in small garden patches. Hops are raised by 
the German family as a side issue, much as the Ameri- 
can farmer's family raises poultry. The culture is 
largely by hand, and its special features are embodied 
in subsequent chapters on methods of culture, along 
with methods used by English and American grow- 
ers. Even in Bavaria, the principal hop-producing 
section of Germany, the hop yards will not average 



ORIGIN" AND SPREAD. •) 

much over one or two acres in extent. The picking is 
clone by the family; in bad weather, the vines are cut 
and taken indoors to be picked. The growers do not 
have curing houses, but sell the sun-dried hops to the 
dealer, who attends to the proper curing and sulphur- 
ing. The bulk of Germany's crop is produced in iJa- 
varia, which furnishes one-half or more of the empire's 
product. Then follow in order of importance — Wur- 
temberg. Baden, Posen, Altmark and scattering dis- 
tricts. Nuremberg in Bavaria is the controlling m.ar- 
ket for German hops, although hops are bought by 
dealers direct from growers at many other points. 

The French district is largely confined to Alsace 
and Lorraine, now German provinces, but hops are 
grown to a considerable extent in Burgundy and 
Northern France. The industry is decreasing in this 
section. 

In Austria-Hungary, attention to hop culture is in- 
creasing slightly. Special grades of hops, with pecul- 
iar characteristics that give them a fancy value, are 
grown in upper Austria, including Galicia, Styria, 
Silesia and Moravia, also further south in Hungary. 
But the center of the Austro-Hungarian industry is ui 
Bohemia, where between 25,000 and 30,000 acres are 
usually devoted to hops. Cne-half of the acreage is 
located in the Saatz district, the hops from which com- 
mand the highest prices, in the world's market — two 
and three times as much as American or English hops. 
The quality of Bohemian hops is carefully safeguarded 
by government, which has established technical shools 
in hop culture at Rakonitz and Laun. Besides hop 
gardens and laboratories for scientific work, these 
schools are provided with an elaborate course of in- 
struction and experimentation. So interesting and use- 
ful is the study that students go to these schools from 
other countries. Every bale of hops produced in Bo- 
hemia must be officially sealed by a government in- 



4 THE HOP. 

spector, which insures hops of true parade in that coun- 
try, but does not prevent the aduUeration of Bohemian 
hops when exported. 

Elsewhere. — In Holland and Belgium, the acreage 
devoted to hops has been reduced until these crops no 
longer have much influence on market values, although 
several thousand acres are still devoted to the crop. 

In Russia, about 8000 acres of hops were formerly 
grown in Kieff and \^olhynia, but owing to a heavy re- 
duction in duty and other causes, the commercial area 
has been reduced, but efforts are again being made to 
widely increase the industry in Russia. The scattered 
hop fields in other parts of Europe are too insignificant 
to be mentioned. 

Australasia has for years had less than 2500 acres 
devoted to this crop, but it is believed that the industry 
is capable of large development in that country. 

In England, about two-thirds of the usual hop area is 
confined to Kent, the other counties being in order of 
importance — Hereford, Sussex, Worcester, Hants and 
Surrey. Following the period of high prices, the Eng- 
lish crop reached a total extent of 70,000 acres in t886, 
but has steadily declined to around. 50,000 acres during 
the closing years of the century. 

WHERE HOPS ARE GROWX IN AMERICA 

Nezv York State. — In 1808, the first yard was set out 
in the state of New York by James D. Coolidge at 
Madison. The demand was gradually increasing, and 
the area planted to hop yards or small plantations was 
slowly extended where the conditions of climate and 
soil seemed favorable. The quality of the American 
hop was considered by the brewers in those days as 
very inferior, and the prices paid for them were much 
below those of English hops that were imported. 
There were also difficulties in delivering the crops to 
market, as they had to l)e hauled long distances by 



a l^txUtt patfonn of a l^oppe 0mm. 




'* 3[t Jiialle not Be amilTc notoe anH t^en to paCfe tfjrougf) pout (^arUen, 
|)atifnc tn ecl;e pantie a for&eU toanDe, Direagng aric|)t fuc^ l&oppC0 a0 Ueclpne 
from t|je IPoalei^/' 

(Sat&ering tfje ©oppe. 




'<erutte t^cm" (the hop (lalkes) "a funuet togt^a fl&atpr J)Oofie,ano toHtJ 
ft fotficH flaffe ta6e tijcm from t^e lPoarc0/' 

(5) 



(i thp: hop. 

teams of oxen. The heavy crops grown, 2000 lbs to 
the acre, proved profitable even at the low prices then 
obtained, about 10 or 12 cents per pound. 

A succession of bad crops in England, however, 
stimulated the industry, especially in New York state, 
where the soil in some sections had been particularly 
adapted to hops. The first actual statistics of the hop 
crop of the United States w^ere for the year 1840, when 
the total crop was estimated at 6200 bales of 200 lbs., 
or a total harvest of 1,240,000 lbs., of which two-thirds 
were grow^n in the New England states and one-third 
in New York. During the next ten years the hop in- 
dustry nearly trebled in extent, the entire crop of the 
country being 3,497,000 lbs. in 1849, or 17,500 bales, 
of which New York state raised five-sevenths. New 
England producing only a little more than 700,000 lbs. 
that year, with scattering lots in Illinois, Indiana, 
Michigan, Missouri, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. 

During the ensuing decade the hop crop of the 
United States again trebled in quantity, the total }ield 
in 1859 being about 55,000 bales, of which New York 
state grew seven-eighths, Vermont being the only New 
England state to **stay in the ring." Between i860 and 
1870, the increase was smaller, 150 per cent., the crop 
of 1869 amounting to 127,000 bales, of which New 
York state produced 97,500 bales. Western competi- 
tion, low prices and poor crops now conspired to re- 
duce New York's hop area until the federal census of 
1890 showed that this state produced only about half 
the nation's hops. The proportion of America's crop 
now grown in the Empire state is still less, and the 
future will show whether this crop, like so manv others, 
is to go entirely west. The principal hop counties of 
New York state have stood for years in this order of 
importance: Otsego, Madison, Oneida, Schoharie, 
Franklin, Montgomery, Ontario. 

In New York state, dairying and hop growing are 



a ^titte platform of a ?|oppe (garlieiu 

Of ramming: of Ipoalesi. 




" Zbtn tnitl) a pccce of IdooTjc ao bicee bclotne ao tfje crcat enDe or one ot 
foure IPoaUfl, tammc tijc cartf) tljat licti) at tlje outf ptie of tj?e IPoalc," 

Cutting IDoppc iRootcs. 




"25Hf)cn pou pull Dotone pour Mies . . . pou HioulB undermine tjjem 
rountJ about.*' 



gf Cging of fboppcs to tl)c lpoalc0. 







(7> 



8 THE HOP. 

generally combined, the manure from the cattle being 
needed to fertilize the hop roots. Hop growing often 
proves a failure with small growers, owing partly to 
disease and parasites and partly to low prices. The 
small grower also is occupied with other crops and has 
not time to give as much care and attention to the hop 
yards as they deserve, the plant being prompt to resent 
any neglect. It is in the small yards that lack of culti- 
vation is so common, together with carelessness in 
tending the crop, looking after the poles, or tying the 
vines. The largest yard in New York state is that of 
James F. Clark, whose yard, near Cooperstown, covers 
150 acres, which are always brought to a high state of 
cultivation. Waterville, Cooperstown and Schoharie 
are the market centers for New York state hops. 

Wisconsin embarked in hop culture in the early 
sixties, and by 1869 the federal census showed a crop of 
25,000 bales. This has never since been equaled or 
exceeded. Ten years later, Wisconsin produced less 
than half that quantity of hops, and since then its 
product has steadily diminished, never exceeding half 
a million pounds. The crop has been reduced by lice, 
and comparatively few growers gave it the attention 
bestowed upon hops in New York. Wisconsin plan- 
tations are now confined to a few large yards of from 
10 to 100 acres, less than 1,000 acres being devoted to 
the crop and often but a fraction of the area is worth 
picking. 

California led off in the introduction of hop culture 
to the Pacific coast. Daniel Flint brought the first 
hops into the Golden state, in 1857, from Vermont. 
He persisted in their culture almost alone until the leg- 
islature of 1863 voted him $1000 as a reward for dem- 
onstrating the possibilities of this new crop in the Sac- 
ramento valley. From 8000 bales in 1869, the California 
crop has jumped to some 50,000 bales, grown on some 
7500 acres, compared to iioo acres in 1879. The 



ORIGIIT AND SPREAD. 9 

largest hop plantations in the world are along the rich 
alluvial bottom lands of the Sacramento, Russian and 
Feather rivers in California. The size of a hop farm 
in that state ranges all the way from lo to 300 acres, 
the latter being the size of the Pleasanton plantation, 
Alameda county, where at harvest time as many as 
1500 to 2000 pickers are employed. The principal hop 
growing counties are Sonoma, Sacramento, Mendo- 
cino, Alameda, Yolo, Yuba, San Joaquin. 

Orcgojis commercial hop industry dates from 
about 1880, and has been characterized by wide fluctu- 
ations in area devoted to the crop, likewise in yield and 
quality. These violent changes are due partly to the 
fact that on these rich soils hop cuttings planted in 
spring will yield 800 to 1200 lbs. of cured hops in the 
fall, while in New York state no crop is expected until 
the second year, and not much until the third season 
from planting, while in England and on the continent, 
four years from planting are required for a full crop. 
This apparent advantage has operated to the detriment 
rather than to the benefit of the Pacific coast, especially 
in Oregon and Washington, because it has led to hop 
planting by inexperienced persons, or to the setting out 
of larger plantations than the owners could properly 
operate except by incurring heavy mortgages. Low 
prices following overproduction have therefore ruined 
a larger proportion of those who we'nt into hops on the 
Pacific coast than in any other part of the world. The 
industry in Oregon is now confined to the counties 
west of the Cascade mountains, centering mainly in 
Marion, Polk, Clackamas, Yamhill and Washington 
counties. 

In Washington, conditions are much similar to 
those in the neighboring state of Oregon. Although 
hops are being increasingly grown in the Yakima val- 
ley east of the Cascades, and to a very limited extent in 
the valley of the Columbia, Spokane and Snake rivers, 



10 THE HOP. 



the industry has long centered in King and Pierce 
counties, in the rich plains and valleys running down to 




FIG. 1. A THREE HUNDRED ACRE HOP FIELD NEARLY READY 

TO PICK. 

This is one of the largest blocks of hops grown in one field anywhere in the 
world. It is at Pleasaiiton, Cal. 

the inland sea. Lewis county, Southern Washington, 
is also becoming quite a hop center. The statistics in 



ORIGIN AND SPREAD. 11 

the appendix show the marked variations that have 
characterized the areas and yield. 

FUTURE OF THE HOP INDUSTRY 

Tlie IVorld's Siif'f'Iy of hops, it will be seen, comes 
mainly from the United States, England and Germany. 
Great Britain imports an average of 125,000 bales of 
hops yearly, of which 65,000 come from the United 
States and the balance from Europe. Germany ex- 
ports about 130,000 bales per year, and imports some 
20,000 bales; about 50,000 bales of her exports go to 
Great Britain, the balance to other European countries 
and to the United ^States. The limitation of the world's 
market for hops is therefore clearly defined. 

The appendix tables show how both area and yield 
are fluctuating, and throw a flood of light on the pos- 
sible monopoly" of the world's hop market by the 
United States, and especially by our Pacific coast 
states. The author believes such monopoly to be pos- 
sible, at least to the extent of the United States produc- 
ing the largest share of the world's consumption. To 
that end, this book is written. But if the United 
States is to achieve that distinction, it will be by im- 
proving the quality of American hops until they are the 
best in the world and by producing them at less cost 
than they can be grown elsewhere. 

The steady increase in the consumption of hops is 
also apparent from the statistical appendix. While the 
figures are not as perfect as desirable, because of the 
obvious dif^culty of collecting full returns, thev dem- 
onstrate a constant growth in the demand for hops. 
Substitutes and adulterants check the use of hops to a 
considerable extent, especially in seasons of scarcity, 
and constitute an evil that must be suppressed. The 
main reliance of the hop grower is the brewers' de- 
mand. The consumption of beer, already enormous, 
has increased astonishingly of late years, and bids fair 



12 THE HOP 

to continue to do so. Throughout the world the ten- 
dency seems to be to replace the heavy beverages and 
injurious Hquors with the hghter wines and beer. 
Brewing makes a product so much cheaper 
than wine that beer is destined to hold first place until 
humanity reaches the stage in its evolution that is char- 
acterized by total abstinence. 

An increasing demand being thus assured, an- 
other favorable influence is the fact that the value of 
this crop is of late years being more governed by the 
law ot supply and demand than formerly. The increas- 
ing elTficiency of the crop reporting service, especially 
that conducted by American Agriculturist in co-opera- 
tion with hop growers, has done something to mitigate 
the gambling that has characterized the selling of hops. 
Much more could be done to place the industry on a 
safer commercial basis, as suggested in the chapter on 
marketing, but it will require years of effort to educate 
growers up to the co-operation needed to accomplish 
this purpose. 

In spite of the peculiarities of the plant and of the 
hop industry, as set forth in Chapters II and III, the 
hop for many years will continue to be an agricultural 
specialty that will yield profits according to the judg- 
ment employed in its culture and sale. 




Fia. 2. COMMENCEMENT OF POLE STACK. 



CHAPTER II 

PECULIARITIES OF THE INDUSTRY 




HE hop industry may be re- 
garded as a very peculiar one 
in many respects. The area 
upon which hops can be 
grown is Hmited, owing to 
pecuharities and necessary 
conditions of soil and cli- 
mate, not only in this coun- 
try, but throughout the 
world. Unfavorable weather 
at the critical period of hop 
development may almost ruin in a few days what had 
promised to be a crop large in Cjuantity and fine in 
quality. Earlier in the season, lice and other pests may 
cause such injury that, even with ordinarily favorable 
weather, the plant may not fully recuperate and the 
yield will be poor. 

These risks are more serious with hops than with 
almost any other plant. Add the dangers usual to all 
husbandry from drouths, wind, flood, frost, etc., and it 
will be seen that on a given area the product and qual- 
ity of hops may vary more widely from year to year 
than is the case with almost any other crop. If, in 
addition to these conditions, the area devoted to hops 
should be suddenly enlarged; or, on the other hand, if 
considerable areas should not be harvested, owing to 
poor crops or low prices, wide fluctuations may occur 
in the supply and quality of hops. These factors make 
it difiicult to collect exact data about the production 
of hops, even with the co-operation of growers. The 

13 



14 



THE HOP. 




FIG. 3. A NEW YORK HOP YARD. 

Trained on long poles and cross strings. 



PECULIARITIES OF THE INDUSTRY. " 15 

absence of organization among growers in America, 
and a still worse condition in this respect in England 
and on the continent, adds to the uncertainty of even 
the best efforts to ascertain the extent of the new crop. 
The effect of these natural influences that favor 
fluctuating supplies and prices, is heightened by arti- 
ficial conditions. The movement of hops, as shown by 
actual shipments, and by imports and exports, fails to 
reveal the extent of old stocks in hands of dealers or 
brewers. Under ideal conditions, hops can be kept in 
cold storage for months without losing their virtue to 
any great extent. Breweries are now equipped with 
cold storage for this purpose, and brewers usually 
make it a practice to stock up liberally when prices are 
low, but as. practiced cold storage is not proving a suc- 
cess. The quantity of hops used per barrel of beer 
varies in different breweries to such an extent as to 
afford but a shaky 1:>asis for computing consumption on 
output of beer. It is asserted by some that fewer hops 
per barrel of beer are now used than formerly, while 
others claim to the contrary. It is now customary in 
the American trade to estimate one pound of hops to be 
used for each barrel of beer, against one and one-half 
pounds twenty years ago, but this is somewhat arbi- 
trary. When hops are dear, less is used per barrel 
than when cheap, the deficiency being made good by 
hop extract. or substitutes. 

While the supply and the uncertainty about it thus 
fluctuates, the demand is fairly constant in comparison. 
Except in so far as substitutes are used, the demand for 
hops is regulated by the consumption of beer, the 
quantity used for medicinal or household purposes 
really playing no part in the commercial question of 
supply and demand. As the consumption of beer is 
largest in Europe, where the population is most set- 
tled, it is not liable to sudden increases or decreases, 
and may be estimated with a very fair degree of accu- 



16 THE HOP. 

racy year in and year out. In America, however, 
owing no doubt to the more sudden growth of our for- 
eign population, the consumption of beer has increased 
more than in Europe. The world's steady increase in 
beer consumption indicates that the demand for hops 
is not likely to vary to any great extent, such as would 
warrant the planting of a much larger area in those 
sections where climate and soil have been found suit- 
able for hop cultivation. 

Even additional taxation of beer has not materially 
restricted consumption in the past and is not likely to 
in the future. Duties on hops would affect their value 
more than taxes on beer, yet the world's supply of hops 
must in the long run govern prices. In a year of short 
crops in the United States, a tariff of fifteen cents per 
pound on imported hops would be of more benefit to 
domestic producers than a duty of eight cents; in a 
season of domestic overproduction, the highef' rate 
would not much influence the price of domestic hops, 
except possibly the fancy brands. In either case, the 
higher duty would not affect the price of beer, and 
therefore a moderately stiff tariff on imported hops is 
a good thing for American growers. But as "the for- 
eigner pays the tariff tax," it would be bad for hop 
growers outside of England if the British Parliament 
should impose a high duty on hops imported into Great 
Britain, which is the market for the world's surplus 
of hops. 

It is fortunate that the hop area throughout the 
world is limited, because, with an increased area avail- 
able, the temptation would be such, in seasons of high 
prices, as to induce farmers to increase their acreage 
so as to thoroughly demoralize the market and depress 
prices to a point that would cause a loss to all growers. 
Such a condition has been experienced already more 
than once. Then, again, the failure of the hop crop in 
Europe has caused a heavy shortage in supply, with 



PECULIARITIES OF THE INDUSTRY. 



17 



2i3 
2» 



S5 ^ 



(/I rj- 



52 12! 



c- 



2c 



n s 
o -^ 
*= -• 









18 THE HOP. 

an extra demand for hops of American growth, for 
which abnormal and unheaUhy prices have been paid, 
— unheahhy because they gave a temporary fictitious 
value to a staple crop, values which growers cannot 
with any show of reason or certainty expect to realize 
once in ten or twenty years. Yet the very fact that 
such a price as $i per pound has been paid for hops 
grown in this country, has stimulated farmers to largely 
increase their area and even to plant hops in locations 
that are not naturally adapted to their successful 
growth. The result, of course, has always been an 
oversupply with a heavy, dull, dragging market during 
several years, when dealers secured the crops at their 
own prices, which were not enough to pay the farmer 
for the actual cost of production. These periods of 
overproduction were followed by the destruction of 
plantations, with a consequent loss of time and money, 
till the market readjusted itself and became more set- 
tled. Then, again, the temptation arises to increase 
the production. 

The wide fluctuations in the price of hops in the 
past are therefore easily accounted for. The most sen- 
sational was the advance to $i and over per pound of 
the American crop in the fall of 1882, and a decline to 
5c per pound three years later. Prices have since cov- 
ered a wide range every season, though not to so 
marked an extent as in the instance cited. The crop of 
1893 was comparatively short as a whole, following 
only medium crops for two or three years previous. 
This led to an increased acreage; with favorable 
weather the next two crops were the largest on record, 
and prices of the 1895 crop fell fully as low as ten years 
earlier. Growers seemed to have forgotten the lesson 
of the early '8o's and made the same mistake a decade 
later. In this, however, the hop planter is no different 
from other people, for humanity has continued to make 
the same mistake generation after generation. 



PECULIARITIES OF THE INDUSTRY. 19 

"The hop industry is a gamble," has therefore 
come to be an axiom. Yet with all its uncertainties 
this saving is not exactly true. Men who most per- 
fectly understand the crop and most prudently allow 
for its uncertainties,- have kept right along raising hops 
year after year, aiming at marketing about an even 
quantity of nice goods each season, and have found 
the industry rather more profitable in the end than any 
other crop grown in their neighborhood. It is fair to 
say that such men are a minority, and that the majority 
of American hop planters during the past forty years 
have quit hop growing poorer than when they began. 

Much can be done to reduce the artificial uncer- 
tainties in the hop industry, also to mitigate the natural 
causes of variation. One object of this book is to set 
forth how this can be done, and thus to place the whole 
hop industry on a surer basis. 

USES OF THE HOP 

The manufacture of beer and ale consumes prob- 
ably 95 per cent, or more of the world's production of 
hops. The oil from hops (that is, from the strobiles) 
is used for medicinal purposes. A decoction of hops 
is used in medicine for their tonic effect. Hops also 
have a sedative action, and are prescribed for derange- 
ments of the digestive organs attended by nervous 
irritability. The hop extract or lupulin kept in drug 
stores is preferred to the decoction for medicinal use. 
For hot applications to the body, nothing will retain 
heat or is more convenient for this purpose than a bag 
or compress of hops. For a variety of purposes, in 
household medicine, the hop is indispensable and 
widely used, as well as for yeast. Hops are prepared 
with a strong decoction of hops, oatmeal and water, 
and make an excellent remedy for ulcers, which should 
first be fomented with the decoction. A hop bath to 
relieve pain has also been recommended by physicians 



20 



THE HOI*. 




o 

H 

>^ 
Q 

^1 
O 
W 

o 

w 

o 

15 

w 
w 

H 

P 

o 



PECULIARITIES OF THE INDUSTRY. 21 

for certain painful internal diseases, made by boiling 
two pounds of hops in two gallons of water for half an 
hour, then strain and press and add the fluid to about 
thirty gallons of hot water. A pillow of hops induces 
sleep. Hop tea is said to be good for the blood and 
for fever. 

The hop root contains much starchy matter and 
considerable tannin, but has never been utilized for 
these substances. The root has been used as a substi- 
tute for sarsaparilla. The tender shoots, taken wdien 
they just appear above ground, are cooked and eaten 
like asparagus or greens, making a dainty bitter relish, 
if the soil has been worked up so that the shoot is white 
for a foot'or more. Hop buds are also used as a salad. 
The stem of the hop plant contains a vegetable wax 
and sap from which can be made a durable reddish 
brown. Its ash is used in the manufacture of Bohe- 
mian glass, and the vine also makes an excellent pulp 
for paper. From its fiber, ropes and coarse textile 
fabrics of considerable strength have been made. To 
make hop cloth the stalks are cut, done up in bundles 
and steeped like hemp, then dried in the sun, and 
beaten with mallets to loosen the fibers, which are 
afterward carded and woven in the usual way. Excel- 
lent paper and cardboard can be made from hop vines 
or roots, or from spent hops, and there are various 
patents and processes for such products. The vine 
being hollow, it is often used by boys for smoking pur- 
poses or as stems for pipes. 

Hop vines are usually burned after the crop is 
gathered, but if pressed into stacks or pits while still 
green they make an ensilage that is good feed for cat- 
tle. In France, the fresh hop leaves are also saved and 
fed with other forage to cattle. Valuable experience 
on this point is afforded by T. M. Hopkins of Worces- 
ter, England, who writes: "In October, I made two 
stacks of hop vines i6 by i6 feet and i8 feet high. After 



22 



THE HOP. 



letting it ferment freely it was pressed down with a 
screw press and the next day was filled up again, and 
when sufficiently fermented, again pressed down, this 
process being repeated all through the hop picking. 
By March I had used nearly the whole of it, and calcu- 
late it saved me some 80 tons of hay. My horses have 
had nothing else for two months, excepting their usual 
allowance of corn, and I have never had them looking 
better. I have also had 100 head of cattle, — stores, cows 
and calves, — feeding on it, and they do well, the flow of 
milk being increased. Dr. Voelcker has analyzed it 
and says it contains plenty of good material, is decid- 
edly rich in nitrogen, nor is the amount of organic acid 
excessive or likely to harm cattle. Another chemist 
says it contains more flesh-forming matter and less 
indigestible fiber than hay. Planters should leave off 
selling hops at a loss, but let the plant run wild, and 
they may every season cut two or three immense crops 
of material that will make silage of unexceptionable 
quality." 



CHAPTER III 

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PLANT 




HERE is but one species 
of hop, Humuhis liip'.Llws 
though there are several 
varieties. The hop plant is 
naturally dioecious; that is, 
the male (staminate) and 
female (pistillate) flowers 
occur on different plants. 
Occasionally in a hop yard 
will be found what is called 
a hermaphrodite or bastard 
hop, with staminate and pistillate flowers on the same 
vine; the hop is not over half size, deformed, and is sel- 
dom gathered. Sometimes there will be not over one bas- 
tard vine to the acre, then there will be a dozen in half 
an acre. The bastard seems to be dwarfed, for it will 
go only one-half to two-thirds up its support. This 
sport does not seem to be permanent, for it seldom 
occurs twice in the same place. This freak usually 
occurs near a male vine, and there the female vine is 
so overcharged with pollen that it partakes of or is try- 
ing to represent the two genders in the same vine. 

The hop is perennial; once started, from either 
root, cuttings, or from seed, the vine comes up anew 
from the same root year after year. The hop root is 
of a tough, leathery, spongy, porous nature. The hop 
has two distinct roots, a lower and an upper root, or 
runners. The lower roots have no eyes and propa- 
gation cannot take place from them, their of^ce being 
to sustain the plant. The upper or surface roots have 

23 



24 



THE HOP. 




CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PLANT. 25 

eyes or joints every four to six inches, their office be- 
ing mainly for propagation. These are cut into pieces 
of two joints about six or eight inches long, for 
planting. 

The root of the female plant is the lighter colored 
of the two, and the buds or eyes are more blunt. The 
male root is of a darker or grayish color, and the buds 
or eyes are more pointed and of a reddish or purple 
color. In America, a male root is planted for every 
lOO female hills; in England, one for every 200 to 300 
hills; in Europe, the male plant is not countenanced. 

The eyes are on opposite sides of every joint of 
the root. Each joint can throw out from six to a dozen 
buds. On a small root the center bud starts first, while 
on a large root, half a dozen buds start at the same 
time, each striving for the mastery. 

Usually the vine that bears the hops comes out 
directly above the crown, but a surface root may run 
under the ground one foot or two feet, and then come 
out and run up its support and bear hops. These vines, 
when young and green and fresh, can be layered, cov- 
ered with moist earth, and they will grow into roots 
with joints and eyes. The great objection to layered 
roots is that the joints will be too long and not as de- 
sirable for planting as the runners that come out nat- 
urally with shorter joints. From four to twenty or 
more vines will come out of every vigorous hill, and 
after selecting the desired number of the best for tying, 
the rest are destroyed and kept down by cutting or 
covering with earth. 

The vines are put on the strings or poles when 
about two feet long. Amines have to be put around the 
poles and tied with a string, but when strings are used 
to guide them to the wire trellis, it is only necessary 
to twine the vine around the string a couple of times, 
when by its innumerable little hooks on its six sides 
it will require no more attention unless shaken off by 



26 



THE HOP. 



some violent motion, or by a continuous wind for sev- 
eral days. Should a three days' wind blow the vine off 
from the perpendicular string to the extent of a foot 
or eighteen inches, if the wind goes down at night, 
every vine will be found clinging to the string in the 




FIG. 7. BRANCH OF MALE (staminate) HOP VINE. 
Reduced in size, and showing at the lower left-hand corner a single flower o' 

the natural size. 

morning, having caught on again by their spiral or re- 
volving motion. 

Vines have to be put around horizontal strings or 
wires by hand. When left to their own inclination, 
they will grow upward until they become so long and 
heavy they will fall down and have to be replaced on 



CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PLANT. 27 

their support. The end of the vine during the growing 
season, — say from one to two feet, — is very tender in 
the morning, and is easily broken; in the afternoon it 
will stand more careless handling without breaking. 
If the end of a vine is broken off in the growing season, 
the next joint will throw out two vines and soon catch 
up with the original vine and bear just as many hops, 
but the arms from the second joint are best. 

The vine when climbing a perpendicular support 
always winds with the sun, from left to right, or with the 




FIG. 8. FEMALE VINE, SHOWING FLOWERS. 

hands of a clock; other kinds of vines mostly climb 
in the opposite direction, which 'is, perhaps, why the 
patent ofifice years ago granted a patent to a man who 
claimed to have "invented" the hop's habit of winding 
from left to right. The hop vine is hollow, six-sided, 
and has six rows of small, sharp hooks. These hooks 
are especially sharp on the tendrils, enabling the latter 
to cling fast, so that the plant can climb rapidly. 

The hop vine has two motions. The first motion 
is a twist of the vine from right to left, the reverse of 
the sun and clock hands. The second motion is a 



•is 



'iiiK iior 



spiral or revolving" motion, with the sun, which winds 
the vino aronnd its support. WhciU'vcr a vine is 
changctl from a perpendicular to a horizontal i)osilion, 
the twist in the vine changes, or reverses, and twists 
with the sun. 'The instinct of a hop vine seems to be 
to follow a peri)endicular position, and it cannot be 
made to follow an angle less than forty five degrees 
without artificial means. 




Fia. 9. BRANCH OP FEMALE HOPS. 

A hop vine is one of the most ambitious of nature's 
climbers. Tt will go to the to]) of its su])port, if 20 to 30 
feet high, and the hoi)s will be on the extreme end, 
while none will be within 10 to 15 feet of the ground. 
When a shorter support is used, the arms will hang 
nearly to the ground, loaded with hops. The vine ex- 



CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PLAKT. 29 

panels in diameter when four to six feet from the 
<T^round, where it will be nearly double the size it is 
one foot from the ground. 

The leaves of the hop vine are irregular in size 
and conformation; the larger are usually three to five 
lobed, the smaller heart-shaped. There is no fixed char- 
acteristic difference in foliage between varieties. 

The flowers are very numerous on both male and 
female plants. The male flowers are in loose clusters, 
as shown at Fig. 7, of a yellowish green color, with a 
five-pointed calyx and five stamens. The male plant 
produces the pollen, which, carried by the wind or by 
bees or insects to the pistil of the female flower, ferti- 
lizes the latter so that it can produce seed. Unless 



FIG. 10. GRAINS OF LUPULIN. 
Highly magnified. 

there are a sufficient number of male plants (say one to 
every 100 female roots), no seed will be produced. The 
male vine bears no hops. The male flower in bloom 
produces a very fine flour called pollen. This pollen 
can be seen in the morning, when the light is just right, 
by vibrating the male vine and looking toward the 
sun. It looks like the dust in the rays of the sun when 
passing through a knot hole. 

The female plants, onl}^, produce hops. The single 
cone of hops is botanically called a strobile, and con- 
sists of a series of scales or bracts and their fruit. The 



30 



THE HOP. 



female flowers are borne at the base of these scales, 
which are arranged in close clusters on a short stem. 
When in blossom, the young hop will be found to be 
a collection of very simple flowers, each consisting of 
a single pistil surrounded by a sort of membranous 
covering, and one of these is placed at the base of a 
small scale, which, as the hop ripens, increases very 
much in size, and collectively becomes the most con- 
spicuous part of the cluster of fruit or hops. Fig. 9. 
The fruit, botanically speaking, is the ripened pistil, 
which is a small nut that incloses a single seed. Upon 
the inner side of the scales, and around the fruit, are 





FIG. 11. FEMALE CLUSTER, 
NEWLY SET. 

b. Hop cluster. 



FIG. 12. SINGLE FEMALE 
FLOWER. 

a, Pistils; 6, scales; c, single seed Willi 
its scales. 



found numerous yellow grains which are peculiar 
glands; and, though they are produced only in the pis- 
tillate plant, they are often incorrectly called the pollen. 
These grains are called lupulin, and sometimes "lup- 
ulinic glands" and "flour of the hop." 

The female flowers are in the form of a catkin, 
having each pair of flowers supported by a bract, which 
is ovate-acute, tubular at base. Sepal solitary, obtuse, 
smaller than the bract, and enfolding the ovary. Ovary 
roundish, compressed; stigmas (the terminals of the 
pistils) two, long subulate, downy. The bracts enlarge 
into a persistent catkin (hop), each bract enclosing a 



CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PLANT. 31 

nut enveloped in its permanent bractlet, and several 
grains of yellow lupulin. 

The leaves on the strobile or hop point outward 
and look rough until the pistil has been properly ferti- 
lized with pollen from the male plant, when they close 
down and become smooth, four-sided cones. If no 
staminate or male hops are in the yard or vicinity, the 
points of the leaves will point outward, giving the hop 
a rough and imperfect appearance. 

SEEDLESS VERSUS SEED HOPS. 

Whether male plants are an advantage or a disad- 
vantage to the hops of commerce, has long been dis- 
puted. It is not necessary that the female hop should 
make seed in order to maintain the strength and vigor 
of the plant, although the contrary opinion is much 




FIG. 13. CROSS-SECTIONAL LONGITUDINAL VIEW OF FEMALE HOP. 

held. Indeed, continuous ripening of seed is one of 
the most serious drains on the vitality of hop roots. 
Plump seeds comprise about lo per cent, of the weight 
of the cured hops. Hence, from the standpoint of the 
seller, they are not to be discarded without good 
reason. This matter has been laboriously investigated 
by German scientists, who seem to be agreed that fer- 
tilization lessens the quantity of lupulin, and injures 
its quality by making it less oily and less aromatic. 
"The function which the plant would use in ripening 
seed seems to be employed in forming lupulin more 
abundantly, and in making the hop fine, and imparting 
to it the peculiarly rich aroma so much desired by cer- 
tain brewers." So true is this held to be that male 
plants are not permitted in Spalt under heavy legal 



32 THE HOP. 

penalty, and a Belgian commissioner appointed to spe- 
cially study this whole matter concludes: "Banish 
strictly all male plants from your hop yard." 

European authorities also maintain that "fertili- 
zation increases the number and appearance of the 
cones; they become coarser, looser, and longer, ajid the 
bracts are longer, more brittle, and fall of¥ more easily." 
They estimate that ii6 pounds of seed hops are re- 
quired to get an equivalent effect in the beer of lOO 
pounds of seedless hops. 

Prof. Cheshire, who has made a special study at 
the Kew gardens, London, of the relations between 
insects and flowering plants, also agrees with Euro- 
pean authorities, and says: "The scientific evidence 
is all on one side — that for the production of the largest 
percentage of lupulin, fertilization should be prevented 
by suppressing the male plant. As a set-ofif against 
this, however, fertilization (which directs the energies 
of the plant to maturing its seed) absorbs into the seed 
a very large part of the store of nutritive material at 
the disposal of the plant, thus increasing the actual 
weight of the crop of hops by about lo per cent. This 
increase in weight is accompanied by a considerable 
percentage decrease in lupulin and aroma, the very 
matters for which the hop is grown. The question is, 
therefore, to be settled entirely on commercial lines, 
whether quality or bulk will bring the larger returns." 

Editor Ironmonger of the English Hop Grower 
also concludes his inquiry thus: "If the hop grower 
wants exquisite aroma and fine condition, he must ex- 
clude the male plant and stop fertilization. If he 
wants weight with the sacrifice of some quality, let him 
encourage the males and gather his well-seeded, 
heavy crop." 

On the other hand, the subject is claimed to be 
a matter of taste. Those who like the German beers 
made from seedless hops do not like beer made from 



CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PLAKT. 



33 



English or American seed hops, and vice versa. But 
the increase in the sale of American and English beer 
has outstripped that of their German competitor, indi- 
cating that the demand is not so fastidious about seed 
hops as some people think. Further testimony on this 
point is afforded by the fact that even Spalt hops, which 
command the highest price and come from a region 
where the utmost effort is made to exterminate the 
male plant, contain a goodly proportion of seeds. If 
it is proposed to compete with German hops in the 





FIG. 14. VARIOUS SHAPES OF HOPS. 

German market, or to displace German hops that are 
yearly sold in moderate lots at fancy prices to both 
English and American brewers, then the male plant 
must be extirpated, and every effort made to closely 
imitate the peculiarities of the German marks. This 
special market is to be got by catering to its whims, 
not by opposing them. 

Aside from this special and limited demand for 
German seedless hops, it is evident that the bulk of the 
trade does not particularly care about hops being seed- 
3 



34 



THE HOP. 



less It is significant, also, that the objection to seed 
hops is mainly heard when prices are so very high that 
this point is raised really as an excuse foralowerquota- 




FIG. 15. KENTISH HOPS. 



tion. or for an allowance because of the weight of the 
seeds, which constitute about lO per cent, of the total 
weights. The concensus of opinion among American 



CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PLAKT. 35 

expert dealers and growers, whose views have been 
carefully collaborated by the author, agrees that im- 
perfect fecundation is a frequent cause of light weight 
hops of inferior quality. Especially important testi- 
mony on this point comes from A. J. Wolcott, an ex- 
perienced grower in Polk county, Oregon: 

"This complaint of the Germans of seeds in American 
hops was first heard in 1882 when hops were so high, and 
caused some growers on this coast to grab out and destroy 
all their male vines. The result was that their hops did 
not matui'e well. They were large, green, light, feathery 
things, with neither color nor strength, and dealers would 
not handle them. I have seen this experiment tried in 
southern Oregon with the same result. I planted a yard my- 
self once without being able to get male roots, and my hops 
were poor, lean things, until I obtained the male plants 
and got them to growing vigorously, when my hops became 
of good color when ripe, with plenty of strength, and I heard 
no more complaints of poorly matured or lean hops. I am 
now fully convinced that hops, like many other plants, re- 
quire fertilizing from the bloom, and as none but the male 
hops bears any pollen, it is necessary to have a sufficient 
number of these in a hop yard so that the female flowers of 
each vine may be fertilized. And brewers, if they expect a 
good, solid, bright-colored, well-matured hop, well filled with 
iupulin, must expect also to see the hop well filled with 
good, large purple seed. If they do not wish seed, they can- 
not expect Iupulin. Germany may produce good hops with- 
out seed, but it cannot be done here, at least such has been 
my observation and experience. Therefore, my advice is, 
to let the male hop alone and if in a season of high prices 
a few brewers complain of extra weight in the seed, pay no 
attention, but go ahead." 

VARIETIES OF HOPS 

Here there is ''confusion worse confounded." 
Plants raised from seed are new varieties; only root 
cuttings propagate the same varieties. Many varieties 
have been produced and as it is difficult to distinguish 
between their roots, the "sets" have been more or less 
mixed. There has been an astonishing lack of care to 
preserve the purity of the best varieties, and as the 
same common name is sometimes applied to roots of 
different varieties when grown in other sections, there 



3G THE nop. 

has come about an almost hopeless confusion of vari- 
eties. This is especially true of America, and to a less 
extent in England, while the best continental growers 
jealously guard against such confusion and insist upon 
sets true to their pet varieties. Such care accounts in 
part for the peculiar merits of certain brands of Eng- 
lish and European hops. 

Aside from the exceptions just stated, it is a curi- 
ous fact that there have been no real efforts to breed 
improved varieties of hops. There is an old saying 
that there are already too many kinds, but there are 
not too many varieties of No. i hops. And, too, these 
best varieties are probably chance seedlings, instead 
of being bred from parents selected for some known 
good qualities. It is also doubtless true in a measure 
that the constant propagation by cuttings, having been 
carried on for many generations, has caused some loss 
of vigor and constitution, which may account for hop 
yards being more easily affected by fungus and insect 
pests now than half a century ago. Nature's law of re- 
production is by the union of sexes and she also 
opposes in-and-in breeding. If the experiment sta- 
tions in New York or on the Pacific coast would take 
up this matter, there is no doubt that in a few years 
much could be done to improve the hop crop by careful 
selection and hybridization. A correspondent in the 
English Hop Groivcr of February 19, 1895, suggests 
the follow^ing method: 

''As the male is generally supposed to influence 
the constitution, and our aim is to produce a vigorous, 
disease-resisting hop of good quality, let us take, by 
way of example, a Fuggle for the father (though it has 
been noticed that male Fuggles are scarce in East 
Kent plantations), and for the mother we wnll take a 
Rrambling or Petham Ciolding, as being of the best 
quality. In the autumn, select strong, healthy hills from 
which to take the cuttings, and plant the male Fuggle 



CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PLANT, 



37 



cuts and the female Brambling cuts a short distance 
apart, the male preferably on the southwest side in a 
sheltered spot, as far as possible away from anyhopgar- 
den, to guard against the female being fertilized by any 
but tlie desired pollen. The first year we shall prob- 




FIO. 16. KENTISH CLUSTER HOPS. 

At Watsoiiville, Cal., from a pliotoizraiili taken Sept. 10; yielded 2000 lbs. of dried 
liopstotbe acre, as tlie avera-^e for l!) aeri.s. A yeueral view of this yard, 
trained ou short poles, is shown on another pa;;e. 

ably get very few or no hops; the next season perhaps 

it will be advisable to cut the Fuggle early, and the 

Brambling late, in order to cause them to flower as 

nearly as possible at the same time, one being an early. 



'dS THE HOP. 

the other a late hop. In the autumn the crop must be 
protected from birds and be allowed to get thoroughly 
ripe; the hope must then be picked and sun-dried; 
afterwards the seeds must be sorted out and kept till 
the spring, when they can either be sown in pots or m 
a bed properly prepared. In the autumn the seed- 
lings must be dug up and planted out on good ground 
about two feet apart, and carefully cultivated for two 
or three years, till it can be seen which plants answer 
our expectations and are worth saving; these can after- 
wards be readily reproduced from cuttmgs." 

Jii England. — As to varieties in England, White- 
head wrote in 1893 as follows, and careful inquiry by 
the author, of the best experts among English growers, 
shows that this is equally true to-day: 

"The fashion as to varieties changes, in accordance with 
the circumstances of the demand. Until the last year or so 
hops of the finest quality were required by the brewers. Land 
which produced these was at a premium. The East and Mid 
Kent and Farnham planters were in the ascendant and 
planted the best varieties, as Bramblings, and others of Gold- 
ing character. Producers of more common hops, in the weald 
of Kent, Sussex, and elsewhere, were disposed to consider 
their occupation gone, and made some efforts to improve 
their quality. But now this has changed for the nonce. 
Fine-flavored hops, full of aroma, seem just now to be re- 
quired only for pale and export ales, and for the compara- 
tively small quantity of stock beer now brewed. For beer 
for quick draught common hops, it is said, are good enough. 
There has been a large demand for these of late, and they 
ha\e made prices relatively higher than those of the finer 
sorts. Varieties of common hops have therefore been exten- 
sively planted, even in districts producing hops of fine 
quality, and among them the Fuggle's Golding, as cropping 
heavily, has been largely selected. Many planters, however, 
refuse to make any alteration in this respect, as they say 
that there will be a reaction when the market is crowded 
with common hops. 

"In East Kent the prevailing varieties are Goldmgs ot 
several kinds, Bramblings, Cobb's Early Goldings, Petham 
Goldings, Canterbury, and Old Goldings. Bramblings and 
other Goldings are still generally grown on the best lard; 
Whitebine Grapes and Grapes on that of not so good a qual- 
ity. In Mid Kent, Goldings, Bramblings, Grapes, and Jones 



CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PLANT. 39 



are principally cultivated. Fuggle's Goldings are now being 
planted rather extensively. 

"The Golding is undoubtedly the best English hop, hav- 
ing unsurpassed aroma and brewing value. The Golding is 
a sub-variety of the Canterbury hop, which was raised by a 
Mr. Golding of Kent, about 1800, who observed in his grounds 
a plant of extraordinary quality and productiveness and 
mar"ked it and propagated from it, furnishing his neighbors 
with cuttings. This variety has small compact cones, shaped 
somewhat like a filbert, of a light golden color when ripe. 
The cones do not cluster together, but grow in bunches of 
two or three cones. Rramblings are Goldings of slightly dif- 
ferent shape, coming earlier to pick, having valuable Golding 
attributes. White's- Early Golding is the earliest hop with 
Golding characteristics, but it is rather delicate, and a shy 
bearer. 

"The Grape and Whitebine Grape are very useful, handy 
sorts, having large cones that grow to a great size in some 
soils, and hanging in clusters like grapes. There are other 
kinds of Grapes, as the Farnham Whitebine, full of quality 
and a very good bearer. Cooper's White is a rather early va- 
riety. Mayfield Grape is a hardy, useful prolific kind. Buss's 
Golding and Fuggle's Golding have not many Golding quali- 
ties. They are rather coarse, coming to pick later than 
Goldings, but they are good cropping sorts, especially the 
Fuggle's Golding, and are not as a rule so disposed to blight 
and mold as others. The Jones is a very useful hop, yield- 
ing well on some soils; it has large cones, and when grown 
on good land has much quality. There are very early and 
common varieties, as Prolifics, Meophams, and others, which 
yield large crops of inferior quality, and are not much in 
favor with brewers when other kinds are available at reason- 
able rates. 

"The Mathon is peculiar to Worcestershire and Here- 
fordshire, and approaches nearly in flavor to the East Kent 
Golding. In Sussex and the weald of Kent, the Colegaie is 
grown, but not nearly so extensively as twenty-fivo years 
ago, and m.any planters are eliminating it altogetlaer and 
planting Fuggle's, Hobb's, Henham's, and Buss's Golding, 
It comes to pick latest of all hops. It is a very hardy but 
backward hop, and will grow on any soil; it runs much to 
vine and requires as long poles as Goldings. The hops are 
generally very small, when quite ripe before they are picked; 
they have a rich, thick appearance when dried, but the smell 
and flavor are not good, and some brewers object to them. 

"Hops of a Golding type are cultivated on the best soils 
in Hampshire and Surrey, while Grapes, as the ordinary 
Grape, and William's Whitebine Grape, the Grape Green- 
bine, Henham's and Fuggle's have been planted on the 
poorer soil. There has been a disposition of late in Here- 



40 THE HOP. 

fordshire and Worcestershire to plant hops of Golding char- 
acter, and to improve the quality generally of the growths 
of these counties, which finds much and increasing favor 
among brewers. At the same time early varieties, as Meo- 
phams and Prolifics, have been put in to some extent, and 
Fuggle's, which are coming into favor." 

In the United States, the number of so-called vari- 
eties is much smaller than abroad. In New York 
state, English Cluster is still grown extensively, being 



f 




"^^^ 




, *3s 




'^P-^ f 






1^ 




Jj^^A^H^^^^^v 


"^H .^^MH^BI^R ' 


% *A^™ 




^■-% 


«*^: ^s, j' ' 






r 



FIG. 17. FUGGLE&., KENT. 

strong, a vigorous climber, and bearing rich, golden 
hops when well handled. The Grape is a very rich 
hop, but not so hardv nor so good a climber as Eng- 
lish Cluster, which has largely supplanted it. The 
Grape vine and fruit are of only medium size, the hops 
have a mild flavor and part very easily from the stems. 
Pompey has large, rank-growing, rough vines, dark 



CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PLAKT 41 

green foliage, large, squarish and strong-flavored 
fruit, sometimes three and even four inches in length, 
is hard to pick, and is no longer planted by progressive 
growers. About a week earlier in ripening is Hum- 
phrey's Seedling, originated by chance in Wisconsin, 
which is being grown quite extensively. It is a good 
grower, but sometimes yields lighter weight hops than 
Cluster, lice are very partial to it and the yield is some- 
times cut by a hot, dry spell coming just as the hops 
are in the burr. One week earlier than Humphrey is 
the main point of Palmer Seedling, but it is such a shy 
bearer, though of fine hops, as not to be much planted. 

The Canada hop or Canada Red, so-called because 
the roots come from Canada, is known by its red vines, 
fruit rather below medium size; the strobile is firm, of 
a golden color, and mild, agreeable flavor. It is per- 
haps the hardiest of all hops, and seldom winterkills 
in New York state, when other kinds may be ruined. 
It is a fair bearer under indifferent culture, and a good 
bearer under good culture. The hops are leafy and 
rather difficult to pick clean, which probably accounts 
for the dispute as to the flavor and quality of the Can- 
ada hop. "It is of rank flavor and disliked by 
brewers and dealers" when moldy, unripe or overripe, 
or when mixed with leaves, etc.; but picked clean in 
its prime and properly cured, the true Canada hop is of 
fine flavor and color, though perhaps not as good as 
English Cluster. The popularity of Canada is due 
mainly to the fact that it ripens nearly a week later than 
Cluster and can stand on the vines fully a week after 
the date that Cluster must be picked. The roots are 
also cheaper. 

A false Canada, or roots of an inferior quality, 
has been spuriously sold. It is such hops that are 
usually "so rank in flavor and disliked by the trade" 
as to be a commercial failure. The term "false Cana- 
dian hops" is not recognized in Canada. It is a fact, 



i% THE HOP. 

however, that Canadian hops are so dishked in Eng- 
land they cannot be sold there. John A. Morton says 
Canada produces mainly three kinds: "A hop that 
grades very similar to the best growth in Franklin 
county, New York, another akin to English Cluster, 
but with a slight .Bavarian flavor, and a third variety 
very similar to Pacific Coast hops." 

As to California varieties, Flint writes for this 
book: "There are only two varieties of hops cultivated 
here to any great extent. The leading variety is called 
the large gray American hop. The hop is large and 
compact on the stems. We are so well pleased with it 
in every respect, except that in some localities it does 
not give as fine straw color as we would like, that we 
are not looking for a better one. Another variety is 
called the 'San Jose hop,' but the growers do not 
plant it if they know it. It comes a little sooner in 
the spring and outgrows the other kinds for a while, 
has more and larger leaves, but the hops are more 
scattered on the arms and do not produce as much per 
acre. The vine is redder or darker. 

"There have been a very few importations of some 
of the leading varieties of the English hop, but not 
enough to make a commercial account of them. I 
learn that they do not produce equal to our kind, and 
I think they will be soon discarded. 

"In the Sacramento valley we begin to 
pick the American hops about August 23 to 
28: nearer to the coast, about ten days later. 
When hops are ready to pick they will not 
stand more than three to four weeks without turning 
rusty, but this depends a good deal on the weather; 
a hot north wind will burn them like a furnace in one 
day, on the sides of the yard most exposed. On the 
other hand, if the weather remains cool, and we have 
cool south winds and nights with a good deal of dew, 
the hops will remain on the vines much longer without 



CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PLANT. 



43 



turning. Most all the hops on the Pacific coast came 
from my yard and I brought the stock originally 
from Vermont in 1855.'' 

In Orcgo}!, the English Cluster, or White Root 
hop, produces 1,500 to 2,000 pounds per acre. It 
usually ripens between September i and 10, and will 
stand 15 to 18 days, when the hops begin to 




FIG. 18. BATES'S BREWERS, KENT. 

turn red or overripe and to scatter. It is the heaviest 
yielder and brewers prefer its quality, but its roots are 
especially subject to black knot. Canadian, or red 
root hops, or as it is sometimes called in California 
the Bavarian root, yields less in Oregon, averaging 
1,000 to 1,500 pounds per acre, but the crop is surer 
than English Cluster, ripens seven to ten days later and 



44 THE HOP. 

will stand three weeks, but the strobile is small and 
the foliage thick, so it costs more to pick and sells 
no higher. Early Fuggles are passing away. They 
produce a small hop, almost seedless and have a pe- 
culiar flavor. They ripen from ten days to two weeks 
earlier than the English Cluster and even when ripe 
they have a dull, greenish color that detracts from the 
selling qualities. 

The rotative dates of maturity are important, as a 
yard can be more conveniently harvested if parts of it 
ripen in rotation. Palmer ripens first; Humphrey's 
follows a week later. English Cluster matures five to 
ten days afterward and true Canada Red about a week 
later still. E. Meeker thinks that a model yard in re- 
spect to varieties for the Pacific coast is in the propor- 
tion of one acre ot Humphrey to two acres of Cluster 
and one acre of Canada Red. 

European Varieties — In Germany, the merits of 
hops are governed more by the sections in which they 
are grown than by the variety. Beckenhaupt says that 
this is true to so great an extent that only three dis- 
tinct varieties of hops are grown in Germany — the 
early Schwetzinger, the medium Rothermburger and 
the late Spalter variety. Beckenhaupt has collected 
nearly thirty distinct varieties of hops from various 
parts of Europe, and believes there is more merit in 
the best varieties than is recognized by the trade. Most 
of the hop yards in Germany are planted to roots that 
came directly or indirectly from Spalt, and the hops 
there are said to have been derived from Saatz hops. 
Evidently the confusion of varieties is quite as b?d on 
the continent as elsewhere. 

Over lOO so-called varieties of hops have been 
described in Germany, but in the Nuremberg market 
continental hops are thus classified, and the varieties 
grown in the respective localities are much alike, if not 
identical: I, Hops of the towns of Saatz and of Spalt, 



CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PLANT. 45 

and the nearest situated principal villages; II, adjoin- 
ing domain of Spalt, Kind, and Saatz lands; III, Wol- 
zach, All, and smaller sites of the Spalt land; IV, Hal- 
lertau, Auscha red-land, Styria, and principal portions 
of Wurtemberg and Baden; V, finest mountain hops, 
Aisch-ground, finest Polish, Alsatian and Burgundian 
hops; VI, Common Middle and Upper Franconian 
hops, Wurtembergian, Baden, Polish, Alsatian and 
Burgundian, and finest Galician hops; VII, Upper Aus- 
trian, Auscha Greenland, Lothingian, and Kannenberg 
land; VIII, Brunswick, Altmark, and the remaining 
parts of northern Germany; IX, northern France, Bel- 
gium and Holland; X, Russia and the rest of Europe. 

WHAT CONSTITUTES QUALITY IN HOPS? 

This question can be answered in various ways, 
according to the peculiar desires of the buyer. What 
Brewer A might consider specially adapted to his need, 
might be considered as No. 2's by Brewer B, whose 
product was quite different from A's. Dealers and 
brewers, also growers who know their business, are 
united upon certain characteristics as essential in any 
lot of hops in order that it may command the top of 
the market: 

1. The hops must be pickea clean, ana De free 
from leaves or weeds, with no pieces of vine, string, or 
dirt, and free from discolored or moldy hops. 

2. The hops must have a rich, golden color, not 
over-bleached nor yet too green, properly cured but 
not baked, with a bright attractive appearance and a 
rich aroma. 

3. They must be honestly and solidly packed in 
bales weighing about 185 pounds, and in baling great 
care should be observed not to break the hops, nor to 
false-pack them. The term "false-pack" is applied 
to a bale of hops that has two or more colors of hops, 
pressed in layers. It is caused by filling up a portion of 



40 



THE HOP. 




± 



CHAKA.CTER1STICS OF THE PLANT. 47 

tlie bale with hops of a certain color and then filling 
the balance with hops of another color. When a sam- 
ple is drawn from a bale of this kind, one portion of the 
sample will show hops probably of a greenish char- 
acter, and the other portion will show up a yellow or 
red. It is essential that the bale be even in color and 
that a sample taken from any part fully represent the 
whole. 

Viewed from the standpoint of brewers as brought 
out at a recent conference of English hop growers, it 
is necessary to consider three things in judging cjual- 
ity of hops: First, the preservative power, depending 
upon the particular class of resin called oleo resin; sec- 
ond, the amount of bitter that is yielded, and third, 
the flavor or aroma. Generally speaking, the higher 
the percentage of oleo resins, which are now capable of 
exact determination, the greater the value of hops for 
brewing purposes. Discussing these features, Mr. C. 
S. Meacham, a brewer of Maidstone, Eng., among 
other things said: 

"Continental or American hops, growing a high 
percentage of oily resins, are generally so intensely bit- 
ter that it is this which determines the maximum quan- 
tity which a brewer should use in his beers in conjunc- 
tion with his milder British hopsi It must be borne 
in mind, however, that the amount of the bitter is to 
some extent counterbalanced by the lesser quantity of 
hops which need be used where the percentage of 
preservative resins is high. This statement might be 
construed by some as a reason for not striving after a 
high resin percentage, but I would remind such that 
it is not bulk of hops but preservative resin which 
the brewer wishes to purchase, and for which he will 
be prepared to pay more money. 

It is on this point of resin that the battle between 
English and foreign hops is to be fought. In softness 
and clearness of bitter and delicacv of flavor, English 



48 



THE HOP. 



growers have little to fear; but from the point of view 
of resin percentage, continental and American com- 
petitors so far have the advantage. To reduce the dif- 
ference between British and foreign hops to a small 
point, the end may be attained by allowing British 
hops to fully mature before picking, by greater care 
and delicacy in handling, and by greater care and su- 
pervision in drying. Careful investigation shows that a 




FIG. 20. CLIMBING TENDRIL OF HOP VINE. 

Mai^nified 100 times, showing the prickly points that give the vine such power to 

cling. 

great loss of resin is due to careless handling, in some 
cases amounting to 20 or 30 per cent, of the total. In 
German hops scarcely a particle of the resin is lost. 
The one question now before the hop growers of Eng- 
land is how to produce the largest amount of resin pre- 
servative and then to save as much of it as possible. If 
the English curing can be improved so as to give a 
return of 18 per cent, resins, instead of about 15 per 



CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PLANT. 49 

cent., as at present, the difference between English and 
foreign grown would be infinitesimal." 

EREWERS' VIEWS IN BUYING HOPS. 

[Quoted from The Theory and Practice of the Prepara- 
tion of Malt, etc.] 

"The brewer, in determining the value of hops, is forced 
to take into consideration certain external qualities, far more 
so than in barley, for he can reach a conclusion as to suit- 
ableness of the hop for the fabrication of beer from exter- 
nal appearances alone. We will here give the good as well 
as the bad qualities of hops. 

"1, The cones of the hop should not be too large; the 
carpels should not be thick and leathery, but tender, and 
their ribs should be thin. The color of the cones should be 
yellowish green and not light green, red, or reddish brown. 
The peduncle should not be stripped of leaves and 
loose carpels should not be mixed with the hops in large 
quantities, but the cones should appear closed, with the car- 
pels lying tightlj'' above each other. Cones of a light green 
coloring and open are frequently proof of unripe hops, which 
contain less flour and have a weaker aromatic smell, A 
light red coloring and a very shiny surface of the carpels is 
an indication of the hops having been allowed to become 
overripe. The consequence of overripeness is a loss of the 
valuable flour, yet this is not so injurious as when the com- 
ponent parts of the hops have suffered injury from having 
been heated during drying, and the hops have acquired a dull 
brown color in consequence. This appearance is called 
'ground red' {hoOrn-'ofh). The hops have a similar appearance 
when they have been baled too damp and have become 
heated in the hop bale, when they largely lose their agree- 
able aroma and very frequently become entirely useless. If 
the hops have been dried too much, or have been frequently 
repacked, for whatever reason, the carpels become detached 
from the peduncle, the cones appear to be torn, and they have 
lost some of their flour. If the hops have been dried by 
artificial heat, at too high a temperature, the flour assumes 
an orange color and the hops acquire an empyreumatic smell. 

"2. When a few cones are torn to pieces, as large a 
quantity of hop flour as possible should be seen on the inner 
surface of the carpels. The richer the hop is in flour, which 
is the bearer of its most valuable component parts, the more 
valuable will it be, if it also possesses the other good quali- 
ties. The flour of fresh hops is a light yellow color. The 
fruit, situated on the base of the carpels, should be as small 
as possible; large granules which weigh heavy are an indi- 
cation of a not very fine hop. 

"3. A fine, strong aromatic odor should be perceptible 
when the cones are rubbed between the hands. Hops of poor 

4 



50 THE HOP 

quality, or raised under unfavorable conditions, possess a 
garlicky odor. Hops smelling moldy or musty, or which 
have suffered injury in drying, or in the hop bale, should 
not be used. 

"4. The separate cones should stick together when the 
hop is pressed together in the hand — it should ball together 
and only slov/ly separate again; this is an indication of the 
hop being rich in resin. If it contains little resin it does not 
ball and feels dry. When marks are made upon the hand with 
separate cones, these marks should be sticky and of a yel- 
lowish color; unripe cones make light green marks. 

"5. The taste of the hop should be pure and agreeably 
bitter. 

•*6. Tt should be free from the leaves of the vines, pieces 
of vine and other admixtures. The cone should not be cov- 
ered with mold or the parasitic fungus-smut (Fiimaffo 
salicina), which covers the leaves and cones with a sooty 
coating, and is very injurious to the hop plant. This fungus 
may destroy an entire hop harvest. Plant lice frequently 
make their appearance as forerunners of this disease, adher- 
ing in skins to the hop and contaminating it. 

"7. They must not be too old. Old hops do not possess 
certain of those already-mentioned good qualities; they have 
lost considerably in value, as the volatile oil, as well as the 
hop resin, has deteriorated. Hop cones which have been 
stored for some length of time have a brownish color, the 
fruits are easily detached from the peduncle, the agreeable 
odoi has changed into a disagreeable, cheesy (rank) odor, 
the flour has a reddish coloring and the hop has lost its 
stickiness. The examination of the hop flour by a good mag- 
nifying glass or the microscope is to be recommended as a 
means of distinguishing old hops from fresh ones. Even then, 
when the before-mentioned characteristics of old hops have 
in some manner been obliterated with fraudulent intent, a 
microscopic examination is still a sure guide. The separate 
glands of fresh hops, which form the hop flour, are full, 
glossy, and of a lemon color, have a smooth surface, and 
when pressed discharge the contents of the gland, showing 
a light yellow coloring. Olands of the old hops are shriveled, 
wrinkled, and the fluid discharged from them is of greater 
consistency and has a dark yellow to brownish color, and 
this color will show itself the more the older the hops are, 
and the smaller the quantity of hop balsam. In time the hops 
become poorer in oil, which has been partly oxidated and 
changed its color." 



CHAPTER IV 

COMPOSITION OF THE HOP PLANT AND ITS FRUIT 




HE essential characteristic of 
the hop plant is the lupulin 
in its flowers or strobiles. 
When highly magnified the 
grains of lupulin appear as in 
Fig. 10. When fresh, the 
lupulin is very resinous, ad- 
hesive and aromatic; and it 
is upon this that the peculiar 
odor, taste and other proper- 
ties of the hop in a great 
measure depend. This being the case, the greater 
or less abundance of lupulin in a sample of hops 
is one guide in judging of their quality, and it will 
be seen that, in all processes of preparing them for 
market, care should be taken that this be not lost. 
The color of the lupulin is also an essential fea- 
ture. A bright golden lupulin of a lemon shade is an 
indication of proper curing, while a discolored lupulin 
is an indication of improper curing or handling and is 
caused by the hops being either high dried or the 
reverse. 

The odor of the hop or strobile is due to its essen- 
tial oil and is powerful but agreeable; the taste is bit- 
ter, and besides lupulin, the hop contains an acid, an 
essential oil, an aromatic resin, wax and extractive mat- 
ter. By pressure, hop heads yield a green, light, acrid 
oil, called oil of hops. 

Yves attributes to lupulinic powder alone the active 
principle of hops. But Payen and Chevallier are of the 

51 



52 



THE HOP. 



Opinion that the entire flower contains the same active 
principles which are found in the yellow dust. If this 
were not so, says Simmonds, the hops, which in trans- 
port lose a great quantity of this yellow powder, would 
have but a feeble effect in the manufacture of beer. 
The bracts certainly contain some lupulin and are 
therefore not altogether devoid of active principles. 
The tonic and narcotic properties of the hop are pecul- 
iar to it and occur in no other substance. Lupulin 
alone contains the following substances in varying pro- 



portions: 

1 AVater. 

2 Essential oil. 

3 Acetate of aninionia 

4 Mai ate of lime. 
6 Albumin. 

6 Gum. 

7 Malic acifl. 

8 Tannic acid. 

9 A resin. 

10 Bitter extract. 



11 A fatty matter. 

12 Chlorophyl. 

13 Acetate of lime. 

14 Nitrate and sulphate of potash. 

15 Siib-carbonate of potash. 

16 Carbonate and phosphate of lime. 

17 Phosphate of magnesia. 

18 Sulphur. 

19 Oxide of iron. 

20 Silica. 



The well cured American or English hop of com- 
merce varies in composition within the following limits, 
the figures showing per cents or pounds of each ingre- 
dient in lOO pounds of cured hops: 





I^upulin. 

16 

7 
10 


Water. 


Seeds. 


Highest 


10 

7 
8 


14 


Lowest 

Average 


8 
10 











In German hops the seeds comprise from less than i 
per cent, to 8 per cent, of the weight, but their lupulin 
varies as above; of the cones, 75 per cent, are outer 
leaves or bracts and about 15 per cent, are stalks. 
Numerous analyses of hops have been made abroad, 
but few in the United States. They do not throw much 
light on the question of what constitutes quality in 
hops, for the constituents revealed by analysis have 
been found to be almost identical in two samples, one 
of which produced a good beer and the other a bad 
beer. vSimmonds gives a compilation of analytical 
data about hops to which the student is referred, and 
further information will be found in books on brewing. 



COMPOSITION OF PLANT AND FPtUIT. 



53 




THE HOP. 



More recently Aubry analyzed nine samples of conti- 
nental and English hops, the results showing less 
variation than might be expected, as follows: 



Water 

Alcohol extract 

Ether extract 

Water extract after alcoholic extract. 

Nitrojien, total 

Nitrojreti, soluble 

Tannin 

Resin 

Water extract 



Maximum 
9.3 


Minimiini. 


7.6 


48.8 


31>.l 


36.2 


26.4 


16.3 


11.2 


2.8 


1.9 


0.8 


0.6 


5.8 


4.0 


26.1 


15.6 


27.0 


21.1 



Average. 



8.3 

44.8 

31.6 

14.0 

2.3 

0.7 

4.8 

20.1 

24.2 



The conclusion drawn from these results is that 
the tannic acid effects of hops are accomplished mostly 
after they have been deprived of their resin, and that 
but a very small proportion of the nitrogenous constit- 
uents of the hops being taken up by the water extract, 
they are of but little importance in the wort. 

THE CHEMISTRY OF HOPS 

is treated in further detail for this work 
by E. E. Ewell, of the Division of Chem- 
istry, United States Department of Agriculture, as fol- 
lows: "That our knowledge of the chemistry of hops is 
still deficient in many points is shown by this quota- 
tion from Moritz and Morris's 'Text Book of the Sci- 
ence of Brewing,' published in 1891: 

"Although it must be granted that in recent years 
we have got to know something precise as to many of 
the constituents of the hop, yet its chemistry, like all 
botanical chemistry, is surrounded by difficulties in 
regard to the isolation and investigation of the various 
constituents, difficulties far exceeding those of the 
study of other materials used in brewing." 

According to these authors, "Hops are added to the 
beer for the following reasons: (i) To give the beer 
the distinctive bitter flavor and aroma; (2) to precipi- 
tate certain nitrogenous constituents of the wort; (3) 
to clarify the wort, not only by the separation of the 
above constituents, but by the mechanical clarifying 



COMPOSITION OF PLANT AND FRUIT. 



.i5 



to 




56 THE HOP. 

property of the hop leaves when agitated in the copper, 
and by the formation of a filter bed for the filtration of 
the wort in the hop back; (4) to preserve the beer 
by the antiseptic influence of some of their constitu- 
ents; (5) to assist in the sterilization of the wort. 

"The bitter flavor is imparted by some of the resins 
and the so-called hop acid (hopfciibittcrsaurc); the 
aroma by the volatile oils; the precipitation of the 
nitrogenous matters by the tannic acid, and the anti- 
septic properties by certain of the resins. It is there- 
fore essential that hops, to be of value, should contain 
these substances in due proportions. 

"The percentage of tannic acid in hops is stated 
by communications from the Agricultural Laboratory 
of Vienna to range from 1.38 to 5.13 per cent., the 
average being between 3 and 3.5 per cent., and this, so 
far as we know, is the normal amount found in good 
hops. The percentage of volatile oil, shown by the 
analyses contained in the report from the Austrian 
laboratory named above, ranges from 0.15 to 0.48, the 
average being about 0.25 to 0.35. To these oils we 
owe the aroma and delicate flavor of the beer. 

"The bittering principles of hops are still the sub- 
ject of considerable divergence of opinion. According 
to Hayduck, the resins are the essential bittering prin- 
ciple, and as Hayduck's researches are the most recent 
and are characterized by completeness and definiteness, 
it is probable that his views are more worthy of cre- 
dence than those of the older investigators. Among 
these is Lermer, who claims to have separated a crys- 
talline bitter acid from hops, to which he attributes 
their bittering properties. The acid is insoluble in 
water, but soluble in dilute alcohol, imparting to the 
solution an intensely bitter taste. 

"Julich sejiai-ated an intensely bitter substance 
from hops, whjch u^s easily soluble in water. Bun- 
gener attributes the bitter to a substance partially of an 



COMPOSITION OF PLAXT AXD FRUIT. 



57 



to 

OS 




58 THE HOP. 

acid, partially of an aldehydic nature. The substance 
is insoluble in water, but easily soluble in alcohol, 
ether, etc. It is easily oxidized to valerianic acid, and 
Bungener attributes the presence of this acid in old 
hops to this cause." 

Various figures are given for the percentages of 
the true bitter principle, but owing to the widely differ- 
ing opinions in regard to the exact nature of the one or 
more bitter substances contained in hops, it is not 
thought wise to repeat these figures. Hayduck fovuid 
at least three resinous bodies in hops. Data in regard 
to the percentages of these resins are not at hand, but 
Blyth publishes, in his treatise on foods, an analysis of 
lupulin by Dr. Yves, which shows 30 per cent, of resin. 

Several analysts have devoted considerable time to 
the detection of an alkaloidal, or other constituent of 
hops, which will account for the narcotic or stupefying 
efTect of beers, in the brewing of which large propor- 
tions of hops are used. Moritz and Morris, in their 
book already mentioned, state that while this view as 
first announced by Graham is reasonable, it is not at all 
improbable that the higher alcohols developed at the 
higher temperatures prevalent in the English practice 
of brewing are also important factors in producing a 
beer possessing a greater stupefying efifect than the 
lager beers produced on the continent. 

Griessmeyer reported an alkaloid to which he gave 
the name of lupulin. Griess and Harrow separated a 
base from beer which proved to be cholin. Griess- 
meyer denied the presence of cholin as such in hops, 
stating that it exists combined with other bodies as 
lecithin, a body of very complicated constitution. 

Southby, in his work on practical brewing, states 
that by distilling hops in a current of steam he was able 
to obtain from 1.5 to 2 per cent, of volatile oil, quanti- 
ties decidedly in excess of the others given above. 

Moritz and Morris state that the chemistry of hops 



COMPOSITIOK OF PLANT AND FKUIT. 



59 



is still in such an imperfect state that physical charac- 
teristics, odor, color, etc., must for the present be relied 
upon in the judgment of this important brewers' raw 
material. 

Moritz and Morris have prepared a summary of 
26 analyses, which Wolf¥ has published, of the ash of 
German hops. The average per cent, of mineral mat- 
ter is 7.4, the maximum 15.3, and the minimum 5.3. 
Analyses of the ash showed the following percentage 
composition: 



Potash 

Soda 

Lime. 

Maiu:ne.sia . 

Oxi<le of iron.. . . 
Phosplioric acid 
Sulpliuric acid. . 

Silica 

Cliloriiie. 



Miiiimnm. 


Maximum. 


Average. 


% 


% 
51.60 


% 


16.30 


34.61 


0.00 


8.80 


2.20 


9. SO 


24.60 


16.85 


1.50 


13.40 


5.47 


— 


3.20 


1.40 


9.20 


22.60 


16.80 


0.00 


12.20 


3.59 


10.30 


26 10 


16.36 


1.00 


7.00 


3.19 



Ewell has calculated the following data in regard 
to the fertilizing constituents contained in the hop 
plant from analyses contained in the second part of 
Wolff's *'Aschen Analysen:" 

Analyses Showing the Fertiltztng Constituents Contained in 
THE Ht>p Plant (female) and its Various Parts, Stated in 
Parts per 100 of the Air-dried Material. 





Ash. 


Nitrogen. 


Pota'^h. 

(K2O) 


Pliosphoric 
acid. 

(P2O,) 


Ill hops 


6.33 
10.50 
3.12 
6.49 
3 54 


3.22 
3 46 
1.57 
2.50 
3 .33 


2.45 
2.01 
1.08 
1.59 
0.53 


1.18 


Leaves. 


0.36 


Stems 

Whole plant 


0.23 
0..38 


"Spell t" hops 


1.23 













I- ^ I p "iLiuiir"* 



60 



THE HOP. 







O 

o 

H 

m 

PL, 

o 

o 
o 

Q 






CHAPTER V 

THE CLIMATE AND SOIL FOR HOPS 




HE hop abhors continuous 
heavy fog or too much 
humidity in either air or soil, 
yet so rapid a grower must 
not suffer for want of water. 
Light fogs two or three 
times a week seem to favor 
hops, and to them FUnt at- 
tributes the fine color so 
characteristic of Pacific coast 
hops. Winters that kill the 
root stocks are imfavorable. A climate that allows the 
root to rest from its labor, but enables it to make an 
early start in spring without danger from late frosts, 
an atmosphere free from excessive clouds and humid- 
ity, with abundant sunshine, not too dry as harvest 
approaches, with an absence of early frosts — there the 
hop thrives and there blights, mold and lice are reduced 
to a minimum. 

Hence the superiority of certain limited regions 
in California. Oregon and Washington are apt to 
have too much moist, hot weather toward harvest. 
Xew York's climate is quite favorable on the average 
of years, but winterkilling is common. A climate in 
which corn (maize) does its best, is, in the United 
States, about right for hops, but, as Clark truly says, a 
great many soils and climates that are good for corn 
are bad for hops. English yards suffer most seriously 
from too much atmospheric moisture. The same is 
often true in Europe. Yet the tables of humidity, tem- 

61 



02 



THE HOP. 



perature and precipitation afford no guide to climatic 
adaptability to the hop. Yield, quality and price fluc- 
tuate quite regardless of meteorological statistics. We 
have spent much study over this point, comparing 
domestic and foreign weather figures with crop data, 



Ki 






^1 



.\ :y 



t^: 



s-v 



i, I 






FIG. 25. TANK FOR DIPPING HOP POLES TO PREVENT ROT. 

Steppingtoii hop farm, near Canterbury, Kent, Englaiul. 

but without being able to draw therefrom conclusions 
of any practical value. 

THE BEST SOIL FOR HOPS 

This important subject has been considered for 
the present work by Prof. E. W. Plilgard, director of 
the California experiment station, whose knowledge of 
soils is not excelled, and who writes as follows: 



CLIMATE AND SOIL FOR HOPS. 63 

California — "As to Sacramento county: Hops are 
grown almost wliolly on the higher alluvial lands of the 
Sacramento river, which are gray, pulverulent, silty or 
sandv lands, with scarcely any noticeable change from 
soil to subsoil for several feet. Most of these lands lie 
near the river, where the land is higher than farther 
out; but some of the 'bench lands' beyond the over- 
sowed region also \ield excellent hops of the yellow- 
silky character, while low-lying lands, not so well 
drained, yield a green product, which is less valued in 
commerce. 

"As to Sonoma county and a portion of Mendo- 
cino to northward, the hop-growing lands are in the 
main the higher alluvial lands of the Russian river, 
greatly resembling in their nature those of the Sacra- 
mento just referred to; they are grayish, silty soils, 
uniform to several feet depth, well drained and of high 
fertility The town of Hopland in southern Mendo- 
cino on the Russian river is one of the prominent grow- 
ing centers, yielding a very high quality. 

"In Alameda county only a small area is devoted 
to hop culture. It is located near the towns of Pleas- 
anton and Sunol on the alluvial lands of Alameda creek, 
which are likewise of a fine sandy or silty character 
and well drained, as there is but little water in the 
stream beds in summer, and their banks are high. 

"The oldest hop-growing region in the Pacific 
northwest is the valley of the Puyallup river in Pierce 
county, Washington. Here also the soils are alluvial 
ones, of a sandy or silty nature, of gray tint, very easily 
tilled and of considerable depth above bottom water, 
say from seven to ten feet. The Puyallup bottom was 
originally quite heavily timbered. 

"The lands where the hop is grown in King 
county. Wash., lie on the lower Cedar and Dwamish 
rivers, and to northward on the borders of Lake Wash- 
ington to the Snoqualmie river. Like all the lands of 



64 THE HOP. 

the Puget Sound region, these lands are of a Hght and 
sometimes sandy nature; the sand consists of the pul- 
verized rock of the Cascade range adjacent/' 

In Oregon, the hop lands of the Willamette valley 
generally are light yellowish loams of great depth, and 
even the alluvium of the streams, like the Santiam, 
bears much the same character, though commonly 
lighter in texture than the lands of the main valley. It 
is conceded in Oregon that soil of a sandy nature pro- 
duces the best quality, while the heaviest yield is to be 
obtained from the heavier bottom lands composed of 
decayed vegetation and deposits of sediment, brought 
down from the uplands and spread over this soil by the 
overflowing of the streams. The most perfect soil is 
a sandy loam which is easy to cultivate and is rich 
enough to produce a good crop of choice hops without 
the aid of fertilizers. 

In Neiv York State, and indeed everywhere, a deep 
sandy loam is preferred, the deeper the better for a crop 
with such a deep-growing root system. A clayey loam 
is also excellent if it contains enough sandy loam to 
prevent baking and packing during drouth. A strong 
loam in which corn thrives is generally good for hops, 
provided it is w'ell drained. Its shallow root system 
enables corn to do well over a subsoil that would be 
too wet for hops, which also dislike too much gravel 
in the soil or a hardpan subsoil. 

In Great Britain, the variation and yield in quality 
of hops in different soils, even between adjoining fields, 
is often most marked. This is equally true in New 
York state, Otsego and Schoharie counties usually pro- 
ducing the best hops. In New York, as in England, 
the lands now under hops have proven to be the best 
after centuries of hop-growing. The limits of the Eng- 
lish hop lands are sharply defined geologically. 

In the finest East Kent region, says Whitehead, 
the soil is clay, loamy clay, and sandy loam upon tlie 



CLIMATE AND SOIL FOR HOPS. 65 

Thanet, Woolwich and Oldhaven beds, which crop up 
here and overUe the chalk on the backbone of Kent. 
As the chalk appears again with a thin and gradually 
decreasing surface of loam, the hop land becomes less 
valuable, and at a short distance from this point hops 
are not cultivated at all until the bastard East Kent 
district begins, where the hops produced are of inferior 
quality as compared with East Kent hops proper, being 
grown upon useful, somewhat heavy soils, lying for 
the most part upon the belt of gault alternating with 
the Folkestone beds intervening between the chalk and 
the weald clay. Below Canterbury there is a district 
between Challock and Barham where hops of first-class 
quality are grown, upon loams of a lighter character 
resting on the chalk. The crops here are not so heavy 
as those yielded on the deep loam and brick earth in 
the Faversham district of East Kent, and the plants 
will not take such long poles, but the quality is most 
excellent. The "weald of Kent" is so named because 
of its soils resting largely on the geological formation 
called weald clay; they are clayey loams, sandy clays, 
more or less tenacious and stifT (these latter require 
expensive drainage), with occasional patches of loam 
and alluvium. 

So, too, in Germany, the hop is more grown on 
clayey soils, well drained, than the average American 
planter would think possible. In Saatz and other 
famous Bohemian districts the soil is a reddish clay 
containing considerable iron, elevated about 800 ft 
above sea level and protected from cold north winds. 

LOCATION OF A HOP YARD 

Let it be naturally protected against prevailing 
wind storms, especially from the north and west. A 
heavy wind will badly whip the vines. (See "lewing," 
in Chapter X.) Very often this point is quite neg- 



66 



THE HOP. 




6 



CLIMATE AND SOIL FOR HOPS. G7 

Jected in setting a hop yard, when it might just as well 
have been attended to. 

Of course the site must be sunny and warm, and 
chosen with reference to the least possible danger from 
early and late frosts. The rows should run in a south- 
erly direction, that the sun may freely penetrate the 
foliage to the utmost extent. 

The main root is a deep feeder, its lateral and sur- 
face roots covered with fine rootlets that utilize the 
food in the upper layers of soil. Hence the need of a 
well drained soil — the hop abhors wet feet — and a soil 
of open texture, that air and water may freely penetrate, 
to aid in rendering available to the plant the elements 
stored up in the earth. Yet so gross a grower must 
have a suf^ciency of moisture and drouthy lands may 
well be provided witli irrigation. 

PREPARATION OF THE SOIL 

for a new hop yard is a more serious matter where the 
soil is not of just the right character. In Kent, expen- 
sive underdraining is often necessary to insure the 
needed openness of subsoils. Comparatively light 
yields in New York and in Germany are partly due to 
a moist or impacted subsoil. In such lands, thorough 
subsoiling to a depth of i8 inches, or even more, should 
precede planting. It is not much practiced, l^ut is to 
be highly recommended. If subsoiling is needed for 
the sugar beet, which is dug in one season, how much 
more is it needed for the hop, whose roots go much 
deeper, but are not disturbed for from six to twenty 
years, or longer? 

It has also been suggested that subsoiling between 
the rows in early spring would be an admirable wav of 
rejuvenating an old "root-bound" yard, at least on 
heavy soils. But Clark, speaking for New York con- 
ditions, says: *'T disagree very strongly with subsoiling 
between the rows, or even deep plowing of an estab- 



68 



THE HOP. 



lished yard, as that space is filled with large bed roots, 
and deep culture cuts them off, which is very injurious. 
I have seen them i6 feet long in my own yard. Otten- 
heimer says that for the Pacific coast, plowing deep 
when setting out the yards is right, but afterward it is 
injurious to subsoil each spring." 

The tendency is also to slight the surface plowing 
for a new hop yard, just as thorough working of the 
soil preparatory to seeding down to grass for several 
years is too commonly neglected. While experts dif- 
fer as to the propriety of putting the plow into a yard 
once it is well established, every intelligent grower 
realizes that before the roots are set affords the best 
chance to thoroughly work the soil. The English 
realize this and practice accordingly in preparing for 
hops, just as they do in preparing for the permanent 
meadows for which old England is famous. The Ger- 
mans are not so particular. 




FIG. 27. PICKING HOPS IN KENT, ENGLAND. 



CHAPTER VI. 

FEEDING THE HOP PLANT 




HE hop is a rank feeder. The 
most of its growth is made 
in less than 90 days. This 
growth is marvelous for its 
luxuriance. Such luxury of 
foliage is necessary if the 
hops are to have a copious 
supply of properly elaborated 
elements in the plant to 
draw upon during their ma- 
turity. The plant must be 
fed for growth as well as for fruit, the one being de- 
pendent upon the other, but avoid such treatment as 
will force it to "run to vine" too much. These points 
have only to be recognized to realize the necessity for 
proper soil, appropriate fertilization and correct meth- 
ods of culture. 

Of course a virgin soil filled with fertility, or re- 
newed by an annual overflow or by irrigating with 
water naturally rich in the elements of plant food, re- 
quires little or no manuring. Such is the present con- 
dition of many of the newer yards on the Pacific coast, 
but it is only a question of time when even they will 
require manuring. How best to feed the hop on the 
more or less exhausted lands of the eastern states and 
of the old world is a problem upon which we have com- 
paratively little exact data. The experiment stations 
in Bohemia are attacking this problem, likewise the 
Wye Agricultural College in Kent and a little has been 
done in Germany, but American experiment stations 

69 



•TO 



THE HOP. 



seem to have largely ignored the problem of fertilizing 
the hop. Let ns, then, first consider the elements of 
plant food contained in the vines and hops of an aver- 
age crop, basing our table on the analyses on Page 71 




FIG. 28. PICKING HOPS. 



and on the average relative weight per acre of 
vines and hops obtained from a dozen experienced 
growers in New York state: 



FEEDING THE HOP PLANT. 



^ GOOD CROP OF HOPS WILL TAKE FUOM AN ACRE OF LAND 





Cured hops. 


Vines and Total 
leaves(air-dry) loiai. 


Weight of crop 

Nitrogreu 


lbs. 
1,000 

33 
25 
12 

30 


lbs. 
1,000 

25 
19 

7 

42 


lbs. 
2,000 

58 


Polash 

Phosphoric Mcid 

Lime, magnesia & oilier 
ash elements 


44 
19 

72 


Tot. removed by crop 


100 


93 


193 



These are astonishing figures. Their significance 
can be best judged by comparison with the plant food 
removed from an acre by other crops under equally 
good culture, it being assumed that the hop vines, like 
potato vines and cornstalks, are returned to the soil: 

PLANT FOOD REMOVED FROM AN ACRE i'.\ SEVERAL CROPS 



CROP. 


Hoi)s 


Ha\ . 


Corn. 
40 bii 


I'otatoes. 


Yieltl per acre 


1,000 lbs 

33 

25 
12 


H tons 


250 bii 


Nitrogen, lbs 


42 
45 

8 


41 
10 
16 


30 


I'otnsh, lbs . . 

Phosphoric acid ... . . 


45 
11 











How few hop planters in New York state realize 
that for a good crop of hops they must manure as heav- 
ily as for 40 bushels of corn per acre, simply to supply 
what is taken from the soil by the dry hops. If we 
consider both vines and hops, we get this table, 
showing: 

COMPOSITION AND QUANTITY OF MANITRIAL StTBSTANCES REQUIRED 
TO SUPPLY WHAT AN ACItE OF HOPS TAKES FROM THE SOIL 



Pounds. 



2,000 
2.000 
1,000 
1,000 
5 tons 

100 

100 



Substance. 



Hop rrop 

Wlieat bran 

Cottonseed meal . 

Linseed me.al 

Barnyard manure. 

Bone meal 

rt AVood jvsli 



Will furnish 



NilrouHn. 


Potash. 
lbs. 


PI 


los. acid. 


lbs. 


Ihs. 


58 


44 




19 


52 


32 




60 


70 


20 




30 


55 


14 




17 


50 


40 




30 


4 


— 




23 





50 




10 



rtThis weight of wood ash (containing only 12% water) will siii>]i]v 
the full amount of potash taken off by the liop crop (vines and hops) 
but no nitrogen ; the other weights given will furnish the full amount 
of nitrogen, but more or less of iiotash ;ind phosphoric acid than the 
crops take off, except in the case of bone meal. 

Stable manure is the form of plant food preferred 
by both European and American hop growers. In 



72 THE HOP. 

compact soils horse manure is best, because of its me- 
chanical effect in lightening the soil as well as furnish- 
ing food to the plant. Sheep manure is excellent for 
sandy soils. Ordinary mixed stable manure is plowed 
under lightly in starting a new yard, when the soil is 
at all poor. The amount should be all one can possi- 
bly afford, and then a little more; no danger of getting 
on too much before planting a new yard. In New 
York from lo to 20 tons per acre of stable manure are 
applied in starting a new yard, in England 15 to 25 
tons, and in Germany eight to 18 tons. 

After the yard is established, fall application of 
stable manure is best on most soils. The common prac- 
tice is to put a shovelful or two of manure on top of 
each hill in late autumn, to be scattered about the hill 
and worked into the soil at first grubbing in spring. 
Green (fresh) manure should not be used, as it holds the 
frost too long in spring, will not work readily into the 
soil, and interferes with cultivation. In cold regions 
this protects against winterkilling, and in case of 
drouth protects the roots by retaining moisture. The 
manure washes down about the roots and aids a 
prompt and early start, but if cold weather follows, this 
may result in stopping the flow of sap and arresting 
the growth of the plant. On very sandy soils, such 
dressings may be quite exhausted before the plant blos- 
soms out, and the vine has no reserve of fertility with 
which to develop its hops. 

In addition to this autumn manuring on the hills, 
a dressing of manure broadcast is highly recommended, 
to be worked into the soil at the first cultivating. If 
the soil is very light and leachy, broadcast the manure 
in early spring, but if fairly strong loam, midwinter 
spreading is best. In Germany a liberal mulch of 
strawy manure is often applied after cultivating is fin- 
ished, especially on drouthy lands. Its preservation 
of soil moisture is quite as useful as the food it fur- 



FEEDING IB J HOP PLANT. 73 

nishes the plant. Such a dressing must not be so rich 
as to cause the plant to run to vine to the detriment of 
its production of hops. 

Comparison of the analyses printed on Page 71 
with the analyses of Kent Goldings and Sussex Grape 
hops grown in England, shows wide variation in the 
total per cent, of ash of vine, leaves and cones between 
different varieties and even the same variety grown 
on different soils. We find no analyses to indicate 
the variation caused by different forms of plant food, 
but it is quite probable that the influence of the form of 
food upon the hop plant is more noticeable in its brew- 
ing qualities or its organic composition than in the 
proportion of ash or nitrogenous matter. This is an 
extremely interesting point upon which scientific exper- 
imentation will doubtless throw much light. On 
general principles, however, it would seem ex- 
pedient to employ the least objectionable forms of plant 
food, when agricultural chemicals or commercial fer- 
tilizers are applied. 

Potash is needed to excess, owing to the great de- 
mands upon this element by the plant, and probably 
the carbonate of potash, as in cottonhull ashes or un- 
leached wood ashes, is for many reasons preferable. Of 
the potash salts, the high-grade sulphate, which is 
much freer from chlorine than the muriate, is perhaps 
best. Yet, there is a large amount of chlorine in the hop, 
and should it be scientifically demonstrated that the 
presence of a liberal amount of this element was essen- 
tial to certain desirable qualities, then the muriate of 
potash would be used. 

There seems to be little reason for believing that 
one form of phosphoric acid is much better than an- 
other for the hop crop, provided only that it is in a form 
that will be available for the plant. Bone and 
ashes furnish both phosphoric acid and potash, but in 
a slow form, and as the hop is a rapid grower, and re- 



74 



THE HOP 



quires an abundance of available food early in the sea- 
son, it is probable that the application of potash salts 
and dissolved boneblack or other quick-acting phos- 
phate would be beneficial. This quick fertilizer should 
be applied very early in the spring, while bone and 
wood ashes should be put on in the fall. 

COMPOSITION OF HOP MANURING SUBSTANCES 

The figures show the per cent, or poiinrls of each element in 100 pomicls 
of tlie subsiai»ce named in first column, 



Substance. 



Wheat br.in 

Cottonseed meal... . 

Linseed meai 

Rape meal 

Barnyard manure . .. 

Bone meal 

c Boneblack dis'lved 
c Phosphate rock.dis. 

Tankage . . . . 

Dried blood , . 

Wood asli unleached 

Cottonliull ash 

Kainit ..... 

riMnnate of potash,. 
cfeSulphate o\ i)ot'sh 

f/Nitrale of soda 

cSulpliaie of am'nia 



Nitrojjen 


Potash 


Phos.acid 


Linie 


2.6 


1.6 


3.0 


2 


7.0 


2.0 


3.0 


03 


5.5 


1.4 


1.7 


0.4 


5.1 


1.3 


20 


7 


0.5 


0.4 


0.3 


0.5 


4.0 


0.0 


23.0 


31.0 


0.0 


00 


17.0 


25.0 


0.0 


0.0 


15.0 


23.0 


6.7 


0.0 


12.0 


14.0 


10.0 


0.0 


2.0 


0.8 


0.0 


5.0 


2.0 


34.0 


0.0 


22.0 


i>.0 


10 


0.0 


13 5 





1,2 


0.0 


51,0 


0.0 


0,0 


0.0 


33.0 


0.0 


2 


15.7 


0.0 


0.0 


_ 


20.5 


0.0 


0.0 


— 



Magnesia 

(MJ 

1 

0.8 

0.7 

0.1 

1.0 

0.7 

0.0 

0.0 

0.2 

34 
11.0 
10.0 
e 0.0 
e 0.0 



a Contains 48% chi(Mine. b No chlorine 
d Contains much so«la. e Traces. 



c Rich in sulphuric acid, 



The hop is a great consumer of lime, yet the ap- 
plication of lime to hop yards is comparatively rare. 
We see no reason why it is not advisable, unless the 
soil is known to contain an excess of lime. This ele- 
n^.ent is equally important in tobacco culture, where the 
use of lime is considered indispensable. Probably the 
best form is oyster-shell lime, provided it can be ob- 
tained at a nominal price. Otherwise, good air-slaked 
lime can be used, or the fine ground gypsum (land 
plaster); from too to 300 pounds of lime per acre, ap- 
plied in the fall, is sufficient, usually. Most soils prob- 
ably contain sufficient soda, but if not, it is a prominent 
composition of many potash salts. 

It may be desirable to add magnesia to some soils, 
in which case the double sulphate of potash and mag- 
nesia should be used instead of kainit, muriate or sul- 
phate of potash alone. 



FEEDING THE 15 OP PLANT. 



75 



Perhaps the most striking need of the plant is for 
nitrogen. We have no data to show to what extent, 
if any, the hop plant is able to take its nitrogen from 
the atmosphere, as do certain leguminous crops. But 




FIG. 29. IRRIGATING HOPS, MAKING A LITTLE WATER MOISTEN 
MANY ROWS OF PLANTS. 

we do know that it is a gross consumer of nitrogen and 
that this element must be in a promptly available form 
to promote the vine's luxuriant growth. Hence, the 



76 



THE HOP. 



importance of applying nitrate of soda, or sulphate of 
ammonia to give the crop a quick start in spring, and 
some less soluble form of nitrogen to back up the crop 
as the season advances, such as dried blood, tankage, 
or bone meal. 

In this country a few manufacturers of commer- 
cial fertilizers have attempted special mixtures of ag- 
ricultural chemicals for the hop crop, with more or 
less success. In England special hop fertilizers are far 
more common. We cannot recommend any one form- 
ula as the best for this crop in different soils, but the 
following table contains the composition of various 
fertilizing materials, and from the known composition 
of the hop plant, several mixtures are tentatively sug- 



gested : 



FORMULAS FOR MAXURING HOPS 



It IS fair to assume that, provided the vines are carefully returned 
to the soil, 1,000 lbs. per acre of cured hops will remove plant food 
varying within the range below stated. And to supply either of these 
woiild require the mixtures which follow: 



In 1,000 lbs of cured hops. 

Formula. 

1 Stable manure 2J tons 

o ( Cottonseed meal 400 lbs 
^ \ Kainit 200 '' 

Totals 600 lbs 

o ( Linseed meal 
•^ICottonhull ash 

Totals 

fBone meal 
.1 Dried blood 
I Sulphate potash 
l^Nitrate soda 

Totals 

rSxil. ammonia 
kJ Wheat bran 
^"j AVood ash 

l^Muriate potash 

Totals 520 lbs 

f Phosphate rock 100 lbs 
I Sulphate of }>otash 60 
6<( Linseed n)eal 100 

I Nitrate soda 50 

(^Sul ammonia 25 

Totals 335 lbs 



100 lbs 

100 " 

40 " 

50 " 

290 1 bs 



lOO lbs 
200 ' 
200 • 
20 ' 



Least quantity. | 




Largest quantity 


Nitro 
gen 


Pot- 
ash. 


Phos 
acid. 

9 


Nitro 
gen. 

38 


Pot- 
ash. 

28 


Phos 
acid. 


25 


20 


14 








Form. 








25 


20 


15 

12 



8 tons 


40 


32 

27 


24 


28 



4 

27 


600 lbs 
200 " 


42 



18 



28 


31 


12 


800 1 bs 

700 lbs 
100 " 

8O0'lbs 


42 

38 



38 


33 


18 


27 



1 
13 
20 


8 
4 


10 
22 


12 

8 


27 


12 

23 
2 





32 


20 


4 

10 


8 






20 




100 lbs 

200 " 

100 " 

75 ^■ 


4 

20 



12 






33 




23 
4 




22 


20 


25 

6 
4 



475 lb"* 


36 


33 


27 


~20^ 

5 





25 




5 

8 

12 

~25 




3 

10 

10 


IBoTTbs 

300 '• 

200 " 

30 " 


30 
8 






5 

10 

15 



9 
4 



23 



20 
1 




10 


680 lbs 


38 


30 


13 


15 

1 




100 lbs 

80 •' 

200 " 

100 " 

60 " 

640 lbs 





10 
16 
12 




26 
2 




15 

1 




21 


16 


38 


28 


16 



FEEDING THE HOP PLANT. Hi! 

Many other combinations of the ingredients men- 
tioned on Page 76 may be made. But in any formula, 
the object should be to supply the nitrogen, potash and 
phosphoric acid in such forms that part of each element 
shall be available for the plant in early spring, and 
then from week to week, as growth advances, but not 
force a growth when the plant is maturing its cones. 

The large proportion of nitrogen contained in hop 
vines is wholly lost when they are burned, though the 
mineral elements are retained in the ash. Since this 
plant draws so heavily upon^soil (or air) for this most 
expensive element, certainly it should be retained so 
far as practicable by plowing under the vines, provided 
they are not infested with germs of disease so as to re- 
quire burning. Spent hops are specially rich in nitro- 
gen, and when they can be had for the hauling, should 
be spread on the ground and cultivated under. 

A great number of other substances are much used 
in England anri on the continent, such as shoddy, waste, 
woolen rags, fur waste, fish manure, and basic slag 
from phosphoric acid. Irrigation may here be prac- 
ticed, for it is essentially a feeding process. Xo matter 
how much plant food is in the soil, unless there be sufft- 
cient moisture, the crop cannot utilize it. jMoreover, 
the hop must have an abundant supply of water, be- 
cause nearly nine-tenths of the vine's weight consists 
of water. Frequent stirring of the top soil, or a mulch 
of strawy manure, leaves, weeds, cornstalks, or any 
such material, will carry a crop through a drouth that 
would otherwise be fatal. Where irrigation is practiced 
in California, the water is run through one furrow in 
the middle of the rows, or one on each side. Sometimes 
two or three such irrigations are enough, again more 
may be necessary, while in a Colorado hop yard, the 
water is turned on six to nine times. If the water sup- 
ply is scant, a very little can be made to irrigate a large 
number of plants by the device illustrated in Fig. 29. 



78 



THE HOP. 




FIG. 30. A YARD ON THE SHORT POLE SYSTEM. 

At Watsoiiville, Santa Cruz Co., Cal. Poles are 2x3 inches x 9 feet lon^, of split 
redwood, set 2 ft. in f^iound, 8 ft. apart square No wire is used, only No 18 
cotton twine, which is fastened to i)ole 6 ft. from ^fonnd. The string is run 
in squares, and two vines are left to the hill. Vines are trained on poles up 
to the strint,'s. Mr. Morse allows one male vine to every 3.5 female vines; 
males are not pruned and are yiven 15 ft. poles to climb. They consequently 
{jrow very bushy, and, as they climb to the tops of the hi^h jtoles set for them, 
a good distribution of j»ollen is secured. This short-pole system is not to be 
confirmed with either the trellis system of overhead wires, or the long-pole 
method used in Washington, New York and England. 




CHAPTER VII 

LAYING OUT A YARD — TRAINING THE YINES 

OP plants are usually planted 
'jy.y feet or 8x8 feet in Amer- 
ica and 6x6 feet in England 
and Europe, but the number 
of hills may vary from 800 to 
1,200 per acre. In New York 
state 6J feet each way is pre- 
ferred by some experts. 

Cn the Pacific coast in 
very few yards are hop roots 
planted less than seven feet 
apart, and in a great many yards the rows are eight 
feet apart. It has been demonstrated there that just as 
heavy a yield can be obtained from a yard planted with 
the roots seven feet apart as from one 6 or 6^ feet apart, 
notwithstanding that in the former there are only 889 
hills to the acre, while in the six-foot yard there are 
1,280 hills. As the most expensive part of raising hops 
is the work done by hand on each root and vine, such 
as grubbing, tying and training, it can be readily seen 
that the expense to cultivate an acre of hops is consid- 
erably larger in a six-foot yard than in a seven-foot 
one. Where the trellis system is used, it requires a 
great deal more twine in the six-foot yard. Another 
objection is that a team of horses cannot pass through 
a six-foot yard without injuring the roots or vines. In 
Oregon, as well as in Sonoma county, California, 
nearly all the hop yards are set out with the hills eight 
feet apart. 

79 



80 THE HOi^. 

The method of laying out the yard is therefore 
much the same everywhere, though the methods of 
training the vines are almost "too numerous to men- 
tion." It is important, in any system of training, that 
the rows be perfectly straight to facilitate clean culture. 
Now, let us assume that the field is ready for stak- 
ing out . 

Set plain, distinct posts at the four corners of the 
plat; then take a long wire with a stake at each end, 
and at a distance of every seven feet tie a piece of flan- 
nel or cloth, to be easily seen. From one corner stake, 
sight in a direct line to the other corner stake, pull the 
wire tight and firmly set in the ground. Put in a peg 
about a foot long at each marker on the line and then 
again continue the line in the same w'ay, pegging 
until that side is pegged. Next, from that corner stake 
and at right angles, take the side to the corner stake 
at the other end of that side, as above described, peg- 
ging as you go on. Then from each of these outside 
rows of pegs, start to the other side, having set up a 
stake to sight to, seven feet distant each time. When 
both sides are thus completed, the field will be pegged 
out as illustrated in Fig. 43. 

The land may be marked ofif similarly by a variety 
of means. Mr. Clark writes: "Make a marker in the 
form of a bob sled, with short runners of one and one- 
half inch ash with a light shoe. Bore a hole through 
the runners about a foot from the back end and about 
two inches from the lower end, so as to be able to put 
devices In to help make better marks. The top of the 
marker should be made of stout ij-inch ash boards 
for the driver to stand upon. Place an iron handle on 
the center of the back so as to help in lifting the marker 
around at the ends of the field to the center of the front 
side. Fix an upright standard about four feet high for 
the driver to take hold of; it W'ill also serve as a guide. 
After fixing on a pole for a pair of horses the marker 



layixCt out a yard. 



81 



is ready. It is a good plan to have a couple of boys 
standing at about equal distances across the hop yard 
with flag stakes so that the driver, when standing on 
the marker, can look between the horses' heads and see 
the stakes. By so doing, he can make two very straight 
marks and also get over the ground very rapidly. The 



r^- 



(^r 






'M. 







FIG. 31. TRAINING HOPS IN KENT. 

land should be marked both ways, but never with a 
plow, or one row will be narrow and one wide." 

If poles are used, one or two poles are inserted at 

each hill; the single pole is now most common in New 

York, but two poles per hill are much used abroad, 

leaning outward from each other so the hops will not 

6 



S2 



THE HOP. 



mass together at the top. Cedar poles are most dur- 
able; in Washington they are sawed out or split about 
3x3 inches, 16 feet or more in length, for the long pole 
system, and 10 feet long for the short pole. An eight- 
penny nail is driven in the top, projecting out about an 
inch, in the short or stake system; on the long pole, 
about a foot from its top, put through a peg a foot long 
and three-fourths of an inch thick for the vine 



to cling to. This and 
poles is done in the 
In California and Oregon 
the same manner as fence 



the sharpening of the 

woods or at the mill. 

the poles are split in 

rails. Redwood poles are 




FIG. 32. HORIZONTAL HOP YARD, NEW YORK. 

(|uite extensively used in California, and they last an 
indefinite length of time. In some yards the same poles 
have been used for the last 25 years. In Oregon those 
growers who adopt the pole system use young firs, 
which grow abundantly in that state. The}' aim to get 
a pole three inches thick and about sixteen feet long. 
In New York and abroad, round poles are used, from 
saplings, and arc not as high as those on the coast. 

Stand the poles upright in a tank containing two 
feet of creosote or coal tar, and let them simmer over 
a slow fire for a night; this will prevent the butts from 
rotting and is a big saving. Cedar, ash, redwood, chest- 



LAYING OUT A YARD. 83 

nut, maple, oak, alder, and birch are esteemed in the 
order named for hop poles. 

On the Pacific coast, when a crop is picked the 
first year, poles are set before the roots are planted, 
which prevents injury or disturbing the roots after- 
ward. With a long dibble having a steel sharpened 
point, a hole is made, about eighteen inches deep, into 
which the pole is stuck and left vertical. A man will 
set about 600 poles per day. A short stake is set the 
tenth hill in ever}- tenth row to indicate wdien a male 
root is to be planted. 

In New York, England and Europe, poles are not 
set until the second year, care being taken to set the 
poles in the north side of the hill every time, as the 
men cultivating before the hops are up will know bet- 
ter where tlie hills are and w'ill not be so apt to damage 
them. In later years also the men when setting the poles 
will know better wdiere to find the old holes. For a 
short pole yard, the stakes could be cut (for economy's 
sake, split) ten or more feet long, that they may be long 
enough to use after once rotting off. The outside rows 
should have larger stakes and be set very deep and 
solid. 

Twine is run across the top of the poles both ways, 
being attached to the nail, or some merely wind it 
around the poles at a height of 7 to 7^ feet from the 
ground (Fig. 32). After the first year, not more than 
four vines should be trained to each hill by this system, 
and where the soil is extra heavy, tw^o will be found 
preferable. At the first and second trainings, all sur- 
plus vines should be either pulled out or cut off beneath 
the surface. The vines generally require training twice 
before reaching the twine, and the vines should be 
trained at least twice on the twine. In training on the 
twnne the first time, it is best to take the vines from the 
stake above the twine, and after passing them across 
over one twine, bring them down under the second 



84 THE HOP. 

twine and train out on the second twine. This causes 
the vines to arch over the twine and prevents them from 
pulHng down on the twine next the stake, thereby pre- 
venting the twine from either breaking or stretching, 
which would cause the hill to slide to the ground when 
heavy with the weight of full-grown hops. 

There are several modifications of the short pole 
and twine method. A popular one consists of driving 
a nail (slanting downward) into the pole only about 
four feet from the ground, tying the string to the top of 
the next pole, and so on. Drive the nail first into the 
first pole in the first row, then go to the second hill 
in the opposite row, then back to the third hill in the 
first row, and so on across the yard, doing two rows 




FIG. 33. OTSEGO (N. Y.) GRUB HOE. 

at once. Begin by tying the twine to the first nail, run 
the top of the twine up the next pole with a ''twiner," as 
far as convenient, carrying it around the pole and try- 
ing to catch the twine over a knot to hold it; draw up 
the twine close, then drop from the top of the pole down 
to the nail in the next pole. Step up to it and give the 
twine a half hitch or loop around the nail, then run the 
twine up to the top of the next pole, down to the next, 
and so on across the yard, until all are finished in the 
same way. Then turn and go across in the same man- 
ner, getting the efifect shown in Fig. 3. By this sys- 
tem, Clark claims that more hops can be grown, they 
will mature earlier, be richer and brighter, will arm out 
lower down, and the arms will be longer and not apt to 
snarl up. They will fill up in the middle with soft, 
white, undeveloped hops and will make better pick- 
ing, and are not as leafy. 



LAYIXG OUT A YARD. 85 

Still other modifications of the twine system are 
A used in England and on the continent, which 
\ are sufficiently explained in the accompanying 
illustrations. By whatever method twine is 
used in these systems, a device for tying the 
string about the poles is useful. It consists of a 
strong but light pole, eight to 12 feet long, with 
screw eyelets like a fly rod, and a bag or bas- 
ket at the bottom that will hold a ball of twine 
snugly (see Fig. 34). A good 12-ply cotton 
string is used. More permanent methods of 
training by means of wire trellises are con- 
stantly coming into wider use. The first cost 
of these methods is more than for the pole and 
twine system, but where hops are grown on a 
large scale, some form of wire is probably the 
more economical. It is claimed also that the 
hop vines can be kept open to the sun more 
thoroughly by trellises than by the string sys- 
tem. There is also considerable saving in 
labor, after the method is once established. 
Spraying can also be done more thoroughly 
I when the vines are spread out on proper trel- 

L lises than when they grow more closely 

FIG. 34. together, or simply on poles. Again, the hops 
TWINE are not wind-whipped as readilv; it is claimed 

POLE ' • 

that they mature earlier, can be picked cleaner, 
and come down in better condition. 

Whitehead says: "One arrangement of wires 
and string is much adopted in East Kent. It consists 
of stout posts set at the end of every row of hop stocks, 
and fastened with stays to keep them in place. At cer- 
tain intervals in each row a post of similar size is fixed. 
From post to post in the rows wires are stretched at a 
height of half a foot from the ground and at a height 
of six feet from the ground, and again from the tops of 
each post; so that there are three lengths of wire in all. 



86 



THE HOP. 



Upon these wires, hooks are fastened or 'cHpped' at 
regular intervals, so that cocoanut fiber string can be 
threaded onto them horizontally from the lower to the 
next wire, and in a vertical direction from this wire to 
the top lateral wire of the next row. The string as 
threaded on the hooks is continuous, no knots are nec- 
essary, and it is put on the hooks of the top wires with 
a 'stringer.' The first cost of this is about $200 per 
acre." 

Another method is that shown in Fig. 35, and 
practiced extensively in England and Germany. By 




Bop Pto»><.V.>^rv^v 'lop /'iant-V.Ki^"-"* Hop rianti 

FIG. 35. KEXTISH WIRE TRELLIS. 



this method, wires are fastened only to the tops of the 
posts, and twine is run down to pegs in the ground, 
these being more simple and less expensive than the 
system just described. The stay pole, or what the 
English call "the dead man," must be very firmly set 
and the end pole braced to it by wire. In New York 
this method is further simplified by setting poles 18 to 
20 inches deep every sixth hill, running a single wire 
along them from nine to 15 feet above ground, and two 
strings only running into a small, wooden or wire plug 
driven firmly near the hop plant. The latter idea 



LAYING OX'T A YARD. 



87 



has been still further improved upon by the Pleasanton 
Hop Company, Alameda county, California. As this 
concern is one of the largest hop growers in the world, 
and has made many improvements in the industry, we 
are fortunate in being able to devote Chapter IX to an 
exact statement of its modus operandi, carefully pre- 
pared for this work by Mr. Davis, superintendent of the 
Pleasanton Hop Company. 




FIG. 36. KENTISH HOP YARDS. 
Two poles to a hill and string. 



88 



THE HOP. 




Fia. 37. THE HOP ROOT STOCK. 



^ ivTQin <!tnrk- h base Of last vearV trrowth of vine; r. where the vine was cut off 
"' ^whenthe\'tockwL trimmed up for the new growth; d, tuberous appendages. 




CHAPTER VIII 

PLANTING AND CULTURE 

" OP roots raised from seed are 
preferred by a very few in 
starting a new hop yard. The 
seed used should of course 
be of good quaHty. It 
should be perfectly ripe and 
taken from well-developed 
canes of vigorous specimens 
of the same species, all of 
which have arrived at ma- 
turity together. By so do- 
ing, there is a better chance of obtaining plants which 
will develop and mature at the same time. This point is 
important, as affecting cultivation and the expenses of 
picking the crop. 

The seed should be sown in a hotbed frame, either 
broadcast or in rows; the soil should be light, well- 
manured and thoroughly pulverized. If the seed be 
sown in rows, the spaces should be marked out with a 
hue about two or three inches apart and about a quar- 
ter of an inch deep. If sown broadcast, the method in 
use in sowing all fine seeds should be adopted. The 
seeds should be covered by means of a rake, the back 
of which may be used to gently press down the soil, 
after which the teeth may be used to mellow the ground 
still further. The seed should not be covered by more 
than an eighth of an inch of earth. A little chopped 
straw should be spread over the surface in order to 
prevent the seed being exposed or the plants washed 
out when watered. Watering is indispensable to main- 

89 



90 THE HOP. 

tain the earth in a proper state of humidity for the ger- 
mination of the seeds and for the development of young 
plants When sown broadcast, the seed must be cov- 
ered up with a rake and operated upon as if sown in 
rows. The seeds germinate in six weeks and the 
plants are ready for use the following month. They 
should then be put out, but will yield no crop until the 
following year. 

Hop roots for planting are usually cut from old 
stocks or runners. From such cuttings fully 99 per 
cent, of the yards are planted. The hop roots should 
be cut into pieces from four to five inches long, with 
two sets of eyes on them (that is, two joints), one for 
the roots, the other for the vines. It is more accurate 
to say that the lowxr roots grow from the extreme 




Fia. 38. HOP VINE STOCK FOR TRANSPLANTING. 

lower ends, or from little pimples on the side. Great 
care should be taken to have the sets of strong consti- 
tution, in prime condition, and absolutely true to name. 
Before being planted, the sets should have their roots 
properly trimmed and dead growth removed. They 
are dug out a few days prior to planting, so as to get 
a trifle dry, to prevent them from bleeding to death 
when planted. Of course, they must not get dry 
enough to destroy the life in them, and it is also im- 
portant that they be whole and good. In California's 
dry climate, the roots are set out as soon as ready, or 
"heeled in," to prevent drying. If fresh-cut sets are 
planted, sifting plaster (gypsum) over them is often 
done. 



PLA:NTING /.l^D CULTURE. 



91 



Opinions vary as to what constitutes the best root. 
On the coast, a root is preferred that is cut from near 
the outer end of the runners and the roots should all 
be of near the same length and free from split or bruise. 
The ends should be cut perfectly smooth, and each root 
should have not less than three or four sets of eyes and 
one set of eyes should be near the upper end of the 
root. In England and Canada, these cuttings are at 
once planted six inches apart in nursery rows two feet 
apart, the roots being removed and leaving only three 
or four eyes around the stalk. These stalks will make 
roots and a moderate growth of vine, and will be ready 




FIG. 39. THE HOP STOCK. 

a, Rootstock; ft, vine stock; c, dead part of last year's vine cut off ; d, roots sep- 
arated or cut off by y rubbing. / l 

for transplanting the next fall or early spring. Each 
root will then be a crown ; that is, one that has carried 
a vine, not a sucker. Sometimes, when sets are very 
dear, the pieces of root cut off in the spring are planted 
out at once without having been put in a nursery; this 
is frequent on the coast, but is not practiced at the east 
or abroad. Sets are more often cut direct from old 
roots. 

There are several methods of planting the sets. One 
is to make a hole 14 inches deep, with a hop-bar, put 
in a handful of fertilizer, partly fill the hole with loose 
soil, and set the roots on end, with the top even with 



92 



t:ie nop. 



the surface of the ground, eyes sticking up and tops 
spread apart. This way of setting will produce a hill 
with the crowns close together, which is a great advan- 
tage over the old way of planting, where the crowns 
grow a foot or more apart. Besides, roots set in this 
way will not be affected by drouth, because most of 
the root is much deeper in the ground than planted 
ones. The old way is, if the pole was previously set, 
to dig out the soil about six inches deep on the south 





a be 

FIG. 40. TOOLS FOR MAKING HOLES FOR SETTING POLES. 
a, Wooden bar with iron point; 6, hole augur; c, pointed dibble. 

side, spread out the roots carefully, eyes up, cover to 
crown, about an inch deep, and level with the surface, 
and firm it with back of hoe. If covered too deep, 
the sets may smother. 

In England, square holes are made with a spade, 
their exact center indicated by a stick, and the sets 
are pressed in firmly with hand and foot, an inch or two 
of the sets being left above ground, a practice that is 



PLAIS'TIXG AXD CULTURE. 93 

not followed in this country, although it is to some ex- 
tent in Germany. Some farmers plant the roots in the 
same way as potatoes by simply dropping them in the 
mark. But the)- are apt to dry up or remain dormant 
for a long time, in a dry season. They will thus get a 
late start and make a feeble growth ; the runners, more- 
over, are apt to shoot out a good deal from the hill, 
thus getting the hill out of place. 

In Washington, the yard is planted by shoving a 
spade deep into the ground on the same side of each 
hill peg, and setting two roots in the hole thus made, 
placing one in each side of the spade hole, and then 
pressing the soil firmly around them. Care is taken to 
get the roots set perpendicularly and the right end up, 
or on a slight angle pointing to center of hill, and the 
top end covered one or two inches below the surface 
and level of the ground. 

Planting should be done as early in the spring as 
possible, because the hills will thus get a much stronger 
growth and the crop of the following year will be from 
25 to 50 per cent, larger than from late planted hills. 
Fall planting is the rule in England and on the conti- 
nent. In California, planting is done in January and 
February, and further north during March and April. 
About three bushels of good roots may be allowed for 
planting one acre of ground. There should always be 
three or four rows planted across the field (between 
the hop vines), with hills that are two feet apart. This 
will give a supply of extra roots that can be taken up 
the following spring to fill in the missing spots where 
some hills may have died out. A nursery should also 
be planted every year, so as to have sets to fill in any 
of the missing hills the following spring. 

If the new plantation is not to yield a crop of hops 
the first year, poles are not set, but stakes 12 or 15 
inches high are driven in the north side of each hill to 
mark its location. The space between the rows is then 



94 



THE HOP. 



planted to some hoed crop. Corn is frequently grown, 
but is objectionable because of its heavy shade. Beans 
are better, because they do not shade the plants so 
much and do not rob the soil. Potatoes are often used 
also, or lettuce and other small crops are grown under 
intensive culture. The small marking stakes will do 
for the young vines to twine about. Clean culture 
is to be carefully pursued the first year. 
Weed out the hop rows and place a little 
fresh dirt around them, but do not work the hoe 
very deeply about the young plants. Even if the soil 
is rich, it is wisest not to grow any other crop the first 
year, and certainly not thereafter, for the plants will 



FIG. 41. FORMS OF HOP KNIVES. 

need all the fertility the soil contains. At least, it must 
be very liberally manured if a catch crop is raised the 
first year. 

If the new plantation is to be worked for a crop of 
hops the first year, its culture is practically the same as 
the treatment of an old or second-year hop yard after 
the grubbing out. See Chapter VI for particulars 
about manuring or fertilizing. 

CULTIVATION DURING THE SECOND YEAR 

In the spring of the second year, dress out the 
hills with a four-tined fork and work in the manure 
thoroughly, being sure to cover up the shoots, as both 
freezing and hot suns will do them considerable harm. 



PLANTIi^O AND CULTUKE. 



95 



Some plow the soil away from each side of the plants, 
but even when this is done with care, Clark and others 
protest against ever putting a plow into the hop planta- 
tion. They prefer to remove the fall dressing to one 
side of the hill, then with a grub hook (Fig. 44) loosen 
and remove the earth from around the hill to the depth 
of three or four inches, pulling up and trimming off the 
surface runners and cutting off (with knife like one of 
those shown in Fig. 41) the crown or top an inch or 
two, as shown in Fig. 42. The old manure is now 
worked into the soil about the hill and the plant cov- 
ered with fine earth. The English use a special tool 




FIG. 42. PLANTS UNTRIMMED AND TRIMMED. 

(Fig. 45) for hauling the fine earth over the trimmed 
plants. Any dead roots must be replaced, also diseased 
or decaying ones. This is the proper method of "grub- 
bing out" every spring. 

An important point is thus stated by Whitehead: 
"It is well not to 'dress' hop plants too early, as, if the 
shoots or l)ines are forward, they are exposed to the 
action of spring frosts, which will either cut them up, 
or blacken and spoil them, or make them 'sticky,' un- 
kindly, and more liable to blight and mildew. The 
French vine cultivators dread the influences of white 
frosts upon the young and tender shoots of the vines. 



90 



THE HOP. 



which are most pernicious, especially if the sun shines 
on the vines while they are covered with dew. On the 
other hand, if the plants are dressed very late, and cold, 
dry wxather comes in May, as is sometimes the case, 
the bines get behind and cannot make up for lost time. 
But most planters now hold that moderately late is bet- 
ter than too early dressing. Care must be taken in 



7' 



-f 



f 



7 



7' 



T 



•-- + 



7' 

A. A. 



7' 



7' 



— -^ 



-r 



t -f' 



f 



7' 



r 

— « 

r 



r 



7' : r 

FIG. 43, YARD PEGGED OUT FOR PLANTING. 



dressing not to cut the stocks too low, thus gettingthem 
too much below the ground level, nor too high, so that 
they are much above it. The dressing knife should 
be kept very sharp to give a clean cut, as in all prun- 
ing." While this advice is good for England, Europe 
and eastern United States, on the coast we prefer to 
grub early, owing to the fact that we have not the ex- 
treme cold or heat that is liable to injure the young 
shoot. 



PLAJ^TIXG AXD CL'LTURE. 97 

Perfect culture, from grubbing until the crop is 
laid by, is so important that we cite the various meth- 
ods in vogue in all sections. 

Washington. — Says Hart: "As soon as the shoots 
appear and are up about 12 inches, commence to train 
them by tying loosely with hop twine to the poles, nip- 
ping ofif all but two vines (some growers prefer only 
one). If you find some roots have not sprouted, exam- 
ine and replace with others at once. This training must 
be continued until the vines have attained a height of 
some six feet, and even then, some of them may want 
training to prevent them breaking off. If the short 
pole system is in operation, you must now twine the 
yard, immediately after the second training, when vines 
are about four feet high. Long poles are not twined. 
Immediately after the first training, take a steady, gen- 
tle horse, with an eight-inch plow (this is large enough 
for the first time), and run a furrow on each side of the 
hills about one foot from the poles, throwing the soil 
from the hills, and then repeat on the lines of poles 
across on each side. 

"This done, then by hand and a pronged hoe, work 
around the square untouched by the plowing at the foot 
of each pole, being careful to use a tool which will not 
hurt the root. This will prevent weeds growling around 
the vine. Next, take a steady, reliable team, and 
with a spring-tooth harrow cultivate between the rows, 
both ways, and thus thoroughly loosen the soil. This 
should be done twice during the growth of the vine to 
the top of the pole or peg. Now, take your team and 
plow up to the hills on each side and both ways and 
then follow both ways with a drag-tooth harrow\ By 
this time your vines will be at the top of the short poles 
or to the peg of the long poles, and it is near time to 
commence spraying. When the hops are in the burr 
and forming, the yards should be gone over twice with 
the spring-tooth harrow and both ways to keep down 
the weeds." 7 



08 



a:HE HOP. 



Oregon. 



the general practice: 



Wolcott thus summarizes his own and 
"Cultivation consists of first 
plowing the yard early in the spring with two horses 
and a turning plow, throwing the dirt away from the 
hill, then level down with either a cultivator or harrow 
and then cross-plow the same and level down again. 
After this, the yard should be gone over every two or 
three weeks with either a good cultivator or heavy 
disk harrow until a])out June 20, when all cultivation 
should cease, as cultivation after that date destroys the 
small feeders from the roots, which commence to shoot 
out near the surface and fill the space between the hills. 




FIG. 44. AMERICAN GRUB HOOKS. 

Destroying these will cause the hops to take another 
start and make them late in ripening. After all cultiva- 
tion is done, the ground should be gone over each way 
with a clod masher or smoother, made the right width 
to go between the rows without damaging the vines. 
This levels and firms the soil and prevents evaporation 
during the long dry spell of July and August. The hop 
hills should be hoed as often as is necessary to keep 
down the weeds, and if none is permitted to go to seed 
for a few years, this will become a very small task." 

Califonua methods are very similar. From three 
to five cultivations are given, according to condition of 



LAKTING AND CULTURE. 99 

soil and weeds. Every effort is made to keep the soil 
open to a depth of four or six inches, and absolutely 
free of weeds. Hand hoe about the hills, to kill weeds 
and lighten soil not reached by the cultivator. Poled 
plants are usually hilled, but for the stake and trellis 
system level culture is generally preferred. See next 
chapter. 

N'cw York. — Clark puts the best practice in a nut- 
shell: "As soon as the poles or stakes are set, start the 
cultivators, three or four times in a row, both ways, 
and keep going over the yard every week until within 
about two weeks of picking. Whatever may be neg- 
lected, don't fail to cultivate, cultivate, cultivate, as that 
loosens the soil, admits sun and air, releases the plant 
food, keeps down the weeds and advances and increases 
the crop very materially. Late cultivation also helps 
to bring the hops out of burr. 

"About June 15-20. apply a good, large handful of 
phosphate, or fine ground bone, directly to the hill, 
among the vines, provided the vines are good strong 
ones; but if they are small or weak, place the phosphate 
a little way from the crown, because it might burn and 
injure weak, tender vines. Then hill in thoroughly, 
and the phosphate being applied to the crown, where 
the grubs work, together with the large, deep hilling, 
will help to drive the grubs out. As soon as the vines 
are well up the poles, say about four feet, cut off the 
surplus shoots, as they will begin to sap and weaken 
the hill. Then dress the hills out nicely with a four- 
tined fork, clean out all weeds and cover up any white 
hop sprouts that may be exposed, so as to protect them 
from the sun. If you have kept the cultivator going 
three or four times in a row every week up to June 
15-20, you have the ground in a fine, clean, mellow 
condition, ready to fit up for hilling. To do this thor- 
oughly, run a large horse hoe through the center of 
the rows both ways, apply your phosphate or bone as 



100 



THE HOP 



mentioned before, and then hill in thoroughly and well 
up around the crown. If any extra sprouts have 
started out since the sprouts were cut ofif, hill them all 
in thoroughly, as they will help to keep the hill moist 
and will not bleed and weaken the hill, as thev would if 
cut ofT. Have all vines kept well trained up on the 
poles or strings and keep the cultivators going every 




FIG. 





FOREIGN HOP TOOLS. 



1, Hessian pointed hoe; 2, EiiRlish Canterbury hoe; 3, English spading fork; 
4, liavarian broad hoe. 

week, being careful not tc dig into the hills just formed. 
"About July 15, cultivate and horse-hoe thor- 
oughly, the same as the first hilling. Then apply to the 
hill, among the vines, a good, large handful of un- 
leached ashes and hill in well. Cover up all weeds and 
fill up all holes that have been dug out by skunks. 



pla:ntikg and culture. 101 

About this time the hops will be in the burr. Some- 
times they hang there a long time before coming out 
into the hop, and sometimes they fail to come out at all, 
or else have small, knobby and inferior hops. Cultivat- 
ing, horse-hoeing, and hilling at this time of the year 
help to bring them out of the burr more cjuickly and 
advance the crop to maturity. If any storms blow 
down the poles, they must be set up again as soon as 
possible." 

Abroad, the plow is seldom put into a hop field, 
but the soil is turned over by hand with a spading fork 
or spud (Fig. 45) in late fall or as soon as the ground 
can be worked in spring. As soon as the vines have 
been tied up, a two-horse cultivator is run quite deeply 
into the ground, followed by a more shallow cultiva- 
tion by lighter, one-horse hoe. The latter is used fre- 




flG. 46. TYING KNOT. 

quently until mid-July. The hand hoe is used to keep 
down weeds about the hills, and the soil about the hills 
not touched by the cultivator is worked once or twice 
with the Canterbury prong-hoe (Fig. 45). ''Earthing, 
or putting earth over the stocks between the poles, is 
done by placing four or five shovelfuls of fine earth over 
them in June, to keep the bines in their places and to 
ensure a growth of roots for cuttings, or sets. It also 
stops the extraneous growth of bines from the stocks, 
which would exhaust them, and keeps them in their 
places." With slight modification, these methods pre- 
vail throughout Europe as well as England. 

The practice of running the cultivator deeply in 
June, so as to break up the mass of fine rootlets from 
the hop roots, is adhered to by many careful growers, 
both in England and on the continent. The scientific 



102 



THE HOP. 



reason for this practice has never been given, but prob- 
ably is to be found in the theory that such root-cut- 
ting will force a new and fresh growth of rootlets, thus 
enabling the plant to feed more freely on the nutriment 
in the soil. Sturtevant applied this reasoning to his 
root-cutting culture of corn some 20 years ago, but in 
America, the theory finds few advocates in either the 
hop yard or corn field. The accepted plan is to give 
the hop rootlets a fine, mellow bed in which to flourish, 
with as little molestation as possible. 

TYING UP THE VINES 

As soon as the sprouts are up about three feet, 
tying up is in order. This is generally done by 




FIG. 47. A HOP GARDEN IN KENT. TWO POLES AND STRING. 

women, who take the best and most thrifty vines and 
wind them, carefully around the pole, going with the 
sun, and tie them loosely with some soft material — 
matting bast, dried rushes, etc. Tie with a knot like 
Fig. 46, which will slip before it will cut the vine. The 
number of vines per pole varies from one to six, the 



PLANTING AND CULTURE. 103 

larger number being where the training is on such a 
system as Fig. 50. Only the strongest vints should 
be tied up, the others being buried (not pulled up), 
though one or two may be left for reserve. The leaves 
on these buried vines will rot in a few days, making 
manure, and th.e vines will make cheaper food for the 
grub than those running up the pole. These buried 
vines throw out small roots, and help to feed the plant, 
and may furnish sets the next year. The yard must be 
looked over every few days to keep the vines well 
trained up and the heads must be kept free. 

In the Fig. 3 system, when the vines get about 
eight or 10 inches above the nail, divide them and 
place two on each string and two up the pole, and then 
continue training until they get out of reach of the men 
standing on short stepladders. In the improved 
trellis system (Fig. 50), the vine has only to be 
given a few gentle turns around the strings and there- 
after winds itself to the top without further assistance 
— a point vastly in favor of this system. 

A few days after the hops are laid by, that is, after 
the principal cultivation has ceased, the yard should 
be gone over and all leaves and arms should be cut of¥ 
up to the height of a person's head. This will let the 
sun in underneath and will help in a great measure to 
keep down the ravages of the hop lice, as they first ap- 
pear on the vines near the ground. In Washington, 
many growers turn sheep into their yards and let them 
eat of? the leaves as high as they can reach. This is a 
very cheap method of cleaning the yard underneath, 
but where sheep cannot be had, a sharp knife must do 
the work. Flint cautions Californians not to trim off 
leaves unless foliage is very thick and ground very wet. 



10^ 



THE HOP. 













FIG. 48. MCKING HOPS GROWN ON STRINGS AND TRELLIS, 

CALIFORNIA. 



CHAPTER IX 




METHODS OF THE PLEASAXTON HOP COMPANY 

[Oeneral statement of methods of cultivation, etc., employed by tlie 
Pleasanton Hop Co., at their yards in Alameda County, Cal.] 

n LEAKING — The vines are 
cut as soon after picking as 
practicable, generally during 
November when weather 
conditions and natural influ- 
ences have killed the vines 
so as to prevent flow of sap 
from the root. The vines 
are cut at a point about i6 
inches from the ground; the 
remaining portion of the old 
vine is cut at the crown of the root at pruning time in 
spring, while the portion that is cut as above mentioned 
in November, is immediately piled and burned, leaving 
the yard clean and ready for 

(2) Piozving, which usually commences about Feb- 
ruary I, with light two-horse single lo-inch plows. The 
earth is thrown by plow away from the roots toward 
center of row, as this method facilitates the work of 

(3) Grnbhing the roots, which is done by digging 
around the hills with a two-tined grape hoe, completely 
removing the earth from crown of root, care being 
taken not to bruise the main root, which is then readv 
for 

(4) Pruning — This operation consists of remov- 
ing with a sharp knife all the surplus small roots or 
"suckers" and cutting down the old wood of the previ- 
ous year's growth, so as to make a new crown, from 
which start the vines intended for hop bearing. 

105 



106 THE HOP. 

Rc'Scttlng- -Wherever, during the grubbing proc- 
ess, a hill is found to be defective or "missing," re-set- 
ting is done by planting three new roots or cuttings. 
These cuttings are about six to seven inches in length, 
and are planted so that the top of root is about level 
with the ground, and with tne buds of the root pointing 
upw^ard. 

(5) Covering or Hilling — Immediately after prun- 
ing, as the work progresses, the roots are lightly cov- 
ered with earth, using an ordinary hoe and making little 
mounds of earth, which serve to show the hop hills. 

(6) Cross-Phnv — After hilling, it is usual to cross- 
plow the hop yard, also away from the hills, leaving it 
in good shape for 




FIG. 49. ORCHARD CULTIVATOR. 

iy) Cultivation — This has to be done at least twice 
or more, according to the season. The cultivators used 
here are all iron tw^o-horse No. 3 McLean orchard cul- 
tivators (Fig. 49), having seven or nine standards, which 
can be used with either diamond shape or chisel teeth. 
A cut of the implement is shown herewith. The opera- 
tion of cultivating also levels the land and returns the 
earth, which has been plowed away from the roots (see 
plowing). Now, to understand subsequent operations, 
it is necessary to describe the 

Trellis — The hop roots are planted seven feet 
apart, and at every sixth row a redwood pole 6x6 and 



THE PLEASA^KTOl^ HOP COMPANY. 



107 



20 feet long is placed, being sunk two feet in the 
ground, and projecting, therefore, 18 feet above. The 
poles are thus 42 feet apart each way. All poles are 
dipped three feet in asphaltum tar at their planting 
end before being set. Heavy galvanized No. 2 wire is 
stretched across the tops of the poles in one direction 
(east and west), being fastened to the top of each pole 
with 2j-incH wire staples. Directly over each row of 
hops and resting upon this No. 2 wire, a smaller wire 
of No. 6 size is drawn (north and south) and is fastened 




FIG. 50. PLEASANTON TRELLIS, SIDE AND END VIEWS. 

to the larger wire wherever it crosses the latter. This 
fastening is done with small pieces of No. 18 wire. All 
interior posts are upright, while the outside rows of 
supporting wire poles incline at an angle of 30 degrees 
from the perpendicular. 

These supporting wires run in one direction only 
(east and west), and after winding around the head of 
the outside poles, at which point the wire is spliced, 
the wires pass at a downward angle of 50 degrees (or 
outward 40 degrees from the perpendicular) to the 



108 



THE HOP. 



anchors. The supporting, or main-wire, outside poles, 
the same as all interior poles, are 42 feet apart. 

The transverse, or trellis, wires, to which are 
attached the strings on which the wires climb, run north 
and south. The trellis anchor poles are set at an out- 
ward inclination of 20 degrees, and are placed only at 




FIG. 51. STARTING OUT TO "STRING" A WIRE TRELLIS. 

the end of every alternating row of hills, making the 
distance between each pole 14 feet. The anchorage 
angles of these wires are the same as those of the sup- 
porting wires. The ''alternate" rows of hills have no 
poles, the wires simply running over the end main or 
supporting wire to the ground and their anchorages. 



THE PLEASANTOiT HOP COMPAN'Y. 109 

at the same angle as in the other cases. The support- 
ing wires are re-inforced at the anchorages by six- 
strand, five-eighths-inch wire cables, spliced around 
the head of the outside anchor poles and running to the 
anchors, together with the supporting wire. 

The trellis wires that run to poles are re-inforced 
by a No. 4 wire, joined to the poles as above, and run- 
ning with the trellis wire to their anchorages. The 
alternate trellis wires above referred to as not having 
any poles, have no re-inforcement at their anchorages. 
All anchors are 6x6 redwood, are four feet long and 
are buried five feet in the ground (four feet deep we be- 
lieve to be ample). The trellis should be erected 
in blocks of not to exceed 50 acres, and no 
stretch of wire should exceed 1,500 feet. It is 
even preferable to lessen this distance, and that 
anchorages be not over 1,000 to 1,100 feet 
apart, in large yards, so that they are in squares of 25 
acres. This caution is given because experience has 
showm that wdiere, from any cause or accident, the trel- 
lis poles collapse, or main wires break, the entire block 
within such anchorage is almost certain to go down. 
Thus it will be seen that the smaller the blocks, the 
greater the security; also the shorter the stretches of 
wire, the less the weight, and therefore the less liability 
to accident. 

(8) Strmging begins about April i. The method 
employed here is to tie three strings at the overhead 
trellis wire. The middle string is run perpendicularly 
from hill to wire, while the two outside strings run 
from hill to points about 20 inches on either side of 
the middle string. The strings are tied to the trellis 
ware first, and then all three are tied to a loop, in a 
ware stake about 15 inches long, which is shoved in the 
hill alongside the root. 

(9) Training — About May 10, when the new 
hop vines are about two feet long, so that selection of 



110 



THE HOP. 




o 

XIX 

Hi 

< 

Q 
W 
cc 






THE PLEASANTON HOP COMPANY. Ill 

the strongest (the hardiest, not the thickest) shoots can 
be made, one vine is trained upon each string. Care 
must be taken to train them as evenly as possible, from 
left to right; that is, following the sun. 

(10) Tuckering — The surplus vines that are not 
used for hop bearing are pulled out. This operation is 
also necessary, as new shoots appear during the growth 
of the vine. Included in this process, it is usual to 
remove the lower arms or lateral growths of the vines 
on the strings, to a height of about three feet from the 
ground. l\ickering is done in order to throw the 
strength of the root into the main vine and arms. 

Culture — During the above described process, the 
ground is well worked and cultivated with one-horse 
shovel plows (^Fig. 53). 

(11) Hilling up — The final work of cultivation, 
about the first of July, is to plow a deep furrow each 




FIG. 53. ONE-HORSE SHOVEL PLOW. 

side of the vines, throwing the earth towards the roots, 
thus "hilling up" the roots, as in cultivating corn, etc. 
This is done with an ordinary one-horse plow. 

(12) Clearing Wires — When the vines are pulled 
down for picking, the string breaks close to the ware, 
thus leaving small pieces of the twine attached to the 
trellis wires. These become saturated with water from 
rain and dew and hold moisture, so that rust forms 
and weakens the wire at these points. For this reason, 
it is advisable to remove these bits of cotton by burning 
them with torches attached to long poles, as soon after 



112 



THE HOP. 



harvest as possible. The gang that cleans the yard in 
November should perform this work, but when this is 
not practicable, these ends of twine should be cut or 
scraped when tying new strings to the wire in spring. 
Setting Out Yard — As indicated under head of trel- 
lis, the main or support wires should always run east 
and west when possible, while the trellis or training 
wires should conformably run north and south, as this 
gives better sun exposure to the growing vines and 
hops. 




FIG. 54. INDIAN HOP PICKERS AT DINNER, CALIFORNIA 



CHAPTER X 



1 


» 


JSJJ! 


^^ 


n 




Im 


^^^S 


1 




^ 


W 


S 


1 


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fe^ 


^^ 



PESTS OF THE HOP CROP. 

[The matter on insects affecting the hop plant, up to Page 141, was 
written for this work by L. O. Howard, Ph. D., Entomologist United 
States Department of A.griculture.] 

SIDE from the damage done 
by the hop plant louse in oc- 
casional seasons, and a 
rather infrequent period of 
abundance of the so-called 
*iiop grub," the hop crop in 
the United States does not 
suffer seriously from the at- 
tacks of insects. The abun- 
dance of plant lice in gen- 
eral, with this species as 
with others, bears a direct relation to the weather, in 
that when the precipitation exceeds the normal, the 
lice are apt to be more abundant, whereas in dry sea- 
sons they almost entirely disappear. The same law 
also holds as to localities, and this doubtless accounts 
for the fact that the hop crop in England suffers more 
uniformly from lice than it does in central New York. 
The causes of the occasional abundance of the grub 
and of the other less important insects are not so read- 
ily determined. 

Nearly all of the hop insects of the United States 
are native to this country and feed upon other allied 
plants of the family Urticaccac. The hop plant louse, 
however, is an exception and is of European origin, 
while there are one or two other European insects of 
some importance which feed upon this crop which may 
vet be introduced into the United States. 
8 113 



114 



THE HOP. 







€*y.^. 







Em 



JUSLal^. 



1»ESTS OF THJi: HOP CHOP. 115 

In this country there is no such thing as an annual 
drain upon the crop through the work of insects, al- 
though in an occasional season, as has just been hinted, 
the damage may be very great through the abundance 
of the lice. Such a season was that of 1886 throughout 
the hop belt of New York state. Some yards were 
completely ruined, while others lost from one-half to 
three-quarters of the crop. In Oregon and Washing- 
ton, after the bad hop louse year of 1890, Professor 
Washburn estimated that one-twelfth of the crop of 
the states was ruined by lice and gave it a cash value 
of $365,000. 

THE HOP PLANT LOUSE [PJiovdon Jiumiili, Scliiank) 

In England, this insect has been a serious enemy 
of the hop crop for at least 200 years. The species is 
probably indigenous to that country, and has frequent- 
ly been the cause of the trouble known to hop grow- 
ers there as "black blight," the occurrence of which 
has increased apparently during the last 50 years. The 
crop in 1882, for example, was reduced from 459,333 
cwts., to 114,832 cwts. The cost of picking the crop 
was reduced from £350,000 to about i 150,000, so that 
not only did the owners of the plantations suffer, but 
the laborers who depended upon the hop picking were 
very considerable losers. The insect was probably in- 
troduced into the United States in the early part of the 
present century, and it is safe to say that it is one of 
the many species which have been brought to us upon 
nursery stock, since, as will be shown later, the insect 
hibernates in the ^gg state upon plum trees and is thus 
readily carried from one country to another, or from 
one part of the same country to another. It was not 
only brought to America from England in this way, 
but within recent years was carried from the east to 
the far west. As late as 1888 it was the boast of the 
hop growers of Washington and Oregon that they did 



IIG 



THE HOP. 



not have to contend against the hop plant louse, but 
about 1888 or 1889 the insect made its appearance there, 
spread with the astonishing rapidity characteristic of 
plant lice, and, in 1890, accomplished the damage 
which we have noted in a previous paragraph. 

The life history of this important insect has been 
fairly well understood in Europe for many years. It is 
remarkable from the fact it possesses a dual food-habit, 
living through the summer only upon the hop plant 
and passing the autumn, winter and early spring upon 
the plum. It is the first species of plant lice of which 




FIG. 56. HOP PLANT LOUSE. FIG. 57. HOP PLANT LOUSE. 

True female. Stem mother. 

Greatly enlarged. (From Insect L^fe.) 

this peculiarity in life history was definitely proven, 
although it has since been shown to be common 
enough among species found in the summer time upon 
annual plants. It is strange that the discovery of this 
mode of life was not made earlier, since the necessity 
should have been obvious enough to anyone who 
might think about it. The necessity for this migration, 
however, is even more m.arked with the hop louse than 
with species feeding upon other annual plants, since 
not only does the hop vine die down in the fall, but 



PESTS OF THE HOP CROP. 117 

the vines are generally pulled up and removed from 
the fields before they are killed by the heavy frosts of. 
late autumn. The life history of the insect has ac- 
commodated itself wonderfully to this cultural practice 
and the lice acquire wings and leave the plant at just 
the proper time for the preservation of the species. 

As before stated, the general relations of the insect 
to the two plants — plum and hop — were practically de- 
termined years ago in England, but it was only after 
the observations of 1887 made by the force of the Divi- 
sion of Entomology of the United States Department 
of Agriculture, and especially by Messrs. T. Pergande 
and W. B. Alwood, under the direction of the late Dr. 
C. V. Riley, that the full life round of the insect was 
known and the exact periods of development and of 
life upon either species of plant. These observations, 
which wxre carried out with the utmost care, and the 
results and methods of which form a model for similar 
work, have been recorded in Government publications, 
notably in the annual report of the United States De- 
partment of Agriculture for 1888, and in bisect Life, 
Volume I; also in Circular No. 2, Second Series of the 
Division of Entomology. 

Life History — Briefly, it may be stated that the first 
plant lice in the spring hatch from winter eggs on the 
twigs of plum trees in the vicinity of hop yards. This 
first generation of lice is composed of wingless indi- 
viduals which give birth to living young. These young 
settle upon the buds and young leaves of the plum tree, 
and after a few days give birth to other young. The 
second generation, like the first, is wingless, but the 
third acquires wings. There are no males among these 
lice, and the phenomenon of reproduction without the 
intervention of the male (termed parthenogenesis) is 
one of the wonderful features of insect life. By the time 
this winged generation makes its appearance, the hop 
plants in the yards have made a good start and the lice 



118 



THE HOP. 



fly from the plum by common instinct to the nearest 
hop plants. Here they settle, immediately insert their 
beaks, and begin sucking up the sap of the plant, within 
a few hours giving birth to another generation of liv- 
ing young, which reach full growth without acquiring 




wings, just as did the first and second generations. 
There now ensue between the middle of June and the 
autumn, when the hop picking commences, from two 
to eight additional generations of these wingless virgin 
females. 



PESTS OF THE HOP CROP. 119 

The rate at which they are produced is extraordi- 
nary. A female in the prime of hfe will give birth to 
several young each 24 hours. Each of these, in the 
course of eight days, becomes full grown and begins 
giving birth to young. Each female may live in the 
active, prolific stage for several weeks, so that a given 
individual may have living offspring to the fourth or 
even fifth generation before the end of her life. From 
this it results that from a comparatively small number 
of original migrants a large hop yard may be com- 
pletely overrun with lice in a few weeks, under the most 
favorable circumstances. Were it not for the activity 
of the natural enemies of the lice, there would appar- 
ently be no hope of ever saving a crop. In September 
all the lice on the hop again acquire wings, whether 
they are of the fifth or the twelfth generation. We may 
have then ten wingless generations, and we always 
have two winged generations. 

The first individuals to acquire wings in the au- 
tumn are always females, and these leave the hop yards 
and fiy back to the neighboring plum trees. The la- 
ter individuals of this generation, and frequently, if 
not usually, all of the individuals of an additional gen- 
eration on the hop, are true males, the male thus mak- 
ing its appearance for the first and only time in the 
annual life round of the species. By the time they have 
developed, however, the first issuing females will have 
settled upon the plum trees and will have given birth 
(parthenogenetically, as before) to a generation of 
wingless individuals which comprise the true females, 
not the virgin females as before, but the true females 
which must be fertilized by the males. So that, by the 
time the winged males have developed upon the hop 
crop and fiy back to the plum, we have this generation 
of wingless, sexual, or true females awaiting them. Im- 
pregnation then takes place, the males die, and these 
wingless, sexual females give birth to the winter eggs, 



120 



THE HOP. 



which are placed on the twigs of the pmm, usually in 
crevices near the buds, and in this stage the insect 
passes the winter as before indicated. With the figures 
which are given of the different stages of the insect, no 
description is necessary and in fact all hop growers are 
familiar with the appearance of the green lice. 




Natural Enemies — We have already mentioned the 
important part which the natural enemies of this insect 
play in its economy. In general, we may say that were 
it not for the natural enemies of plant lice and for oc- 
casional spells of extremely hot weather, all living 
vegetation would be destroyed by them. A great 



PESTS OF THE HOP CROP. 121 

abundance of plant lice during a rainy spring is of com- 
mon occurrence. Should the rains continue they in- 
crease beyond measure, but with the first stopping of 
the rain their natural enemies become active, reproduce 
with wonderful rapidity and destroy the lice by the 
wholesale. Then, too, when we have, as we occasion- 
ally do in late June or early July, a day or so when the 
temperature runs high up into the 90's, the lice may be 
killed off by the wholesale by the heat alone. The 
writer remembers a case in the city of Washington, 
where in a single day every plant louse of countless 
millions upon the box-elder shade trees was killed by 
a temperature of loi. At the same time hop plant lice 




FIG. 60. HOP PLANT LOUSE AND EGGS. 

Showing shriveled skin of female. Greatly enlarged. (From Insect Life.) 

•which were under observation upon the grounds of the 
Department of Agriculture in the course of experi- 
mental work were also destroyed by the heat. It may 
be incidentally remarked that hot, sunny weather is 
prejudicial to the increase of this insect in the hop 
plantations of England. The natural enemies of 
the lice consist of the slimy maggots of several 
species of Syrphus flies, of the active and vora- 
cious larvae of the lace-winged flies, of the lady- 
bird beetles, of the internal feeding larvae of 
an entire sub-family of parasitic flies known as 
Aphidiinae, and of several species of little parasitic 
hymenopterous insects, which, curiously enough, be- 



122 THE HOP. 

long to the family Cynipidae, most of the species of 
which are gall makers and plant feeders. Several of 
these insects are shown in accompanying figures. They 
need no detailed practical consideration, however, ex- 
cept that it should be pointed out that where any of 
these insects are very abundant, and the fact can read- 
ily be ascertained by a little close observation, remedial 
work may not be necessary. When any considerable 
proportion of the lice are found to be brown and swol- 
len and nearly double the usual size, it is a sure indica- 
tion that they contain Aphidiine parasites and that the 
little flies which will issue from these lice will be so 
abundant as to kill ofif the survivors without the neces- 
sity of remedial work. So, too, w^hen ladybird beetles 
are very abundant upon the vines, it is safe to conclude 
that spraying with insecticide washes will not be 
necessary. 

Remedies — If the writer were a grower of hops, 
and had suffered from the attacks of this insect, his first 
step would be to locate every plum tree within a dis- 
tance of half a mile from the hop yard. He would then, 
by hook, or by crook, secure the destruction of as 
many of these trees as possible, with the exception 
that he would leave two or three trees of moderate 
size among those nearest to the yard. These trees he 
would use as traps for the hop lice and every spring, 
along toward the end of May, he would carefully ex- 
amine the twigs, and, if lice were at all abundant, he 
would spray them thoroughly with a dilute kerosene 
soap emulsion, or with a resin wash. It is reasonably 
safe to say that if this course were or could be adopted 
by every grower of hops, comparative immunity of the 
crop from the attacks of these insects would be the 
result. There will be many cases, however, where there 
are so many plum trees near the hop field that such a 
course would be impossible on account of the value of 
the plum crop. This is apt to be the case especially in 



PESTS OF THE HOP CROP. 



123 



the extreme northwest, where the pkim or prune crop 
is such a vakiahle one. In such cases recourse must 
be had to extensive spraying, preferably of the pkim 
trees themselves in the early spring, since the lice are 
infinitely fewer in number at that time of the 
year, or of the hop crop itself, the earlier the better, 
after the lice make their appearance. 

As to spraying materials, the extensive experi- 
ments which we carried on at Richfield Springs in the 
summer of 1887 show plainly the efBcacy of the stand- 
ard kerosene emulsion diluted with 15 parts of water 




FIG. 61. APHIDINE PARASITE OP HOP PLANT LOUSE. 

Greatly enlarged. (From U. S. Deiiartnient of Agriculture.) 

and of a dilute soap wash made from homemade fish- 
oil soap. In Oregon and Washington, for some rea- 
son, the kerosene emulsion has not come into general 
use. As has been recently shown with such positive- 
ness, in the case of the San Jose scale and the lime salt 
and sulphur wash, there is really a difference in the 
effect of the same insecticide wash on the Pacific and 
Atlantic coasts. Nevertheless, the decoction of quassia 
chips, which was so strongly recommended and so 
frequently used in Oregon and Washington in 1890 
and 1892, fostered, as has been said, by the efiforts of 



124 THE HOP. 

persons interested in the sale of the substance, when 
carefully tested by an agent of the United States De- 
partment of Agriculture in the field in Oregon in 1893, 
proved less efifective than the kerosene emulsion and 
than the best of the fish- 3il soaps, and it is probable that 
the disrepute into which the kerosene emulsion early 
fell was due to improper preparation and consequent 
destruction of foliage. 

The standard kerosene soap emulsion formula is 
made as follows: 

KEROSENE EMULSION 

Kerosene 2 gals. 

Whale-oil soap (or i qt soft soap). . . J lb. 
Water i gal. 

Dissolve the soap in boiling water and add the hot 
solution, away from the fire, to the kerosene. Agitate 
violently for five minutes by pumping the liquid back 
upon itself with a force pump until the mixture assumes 
the consistency of cream. In this condition it will keep 
indefinitely and should be diluted only as wanted for 
use. For plant lice and other soft-bodied insects, dilute 
the above to 15 or 20 gallons. For scale insects and 
beetles use seven to nine parts of water. 

Fish-oil soap is made in the following way: Take 
potash lye, i pound; fish oil, 3 pints; soft water, 2 gal- 
lons. The lye is dissolved in the water, and when 
brought to the boiling point the oil is added. The 
batch is boiled for about two hours. Enough water is 
filled in to make up the evaporation by boiling, and 
the result will be about 25 pounds of soap, which, when 
cold, may be cut and handled in cakes. This is enough 
for 150 gallons of effective wash and will cost from 20 
to 25 cents in Oregon. 

Additional experiments were made in 1893 with 
resin wash and the results were very satisfactory. The 
formula used by the agent, Mr. Koebele, that year was 
as follows: One pound of caustic soda dissolved in two 



PESTS OF THE nop CROP 125 

gallons of water and six pounds of broken resin, to be 
boiled with a1)oiit three quarts of the resultant lye. 
After the resin is dissolved, the rest of the lye is to be 
added slowly, with water to make about eight gallons of 
the compound, which should be still further diluted with 
water before cooling. The resulting mixture should 
be clear and brown in color, and at this stage it is read- 
ily diluted with water. Improvements have been 
made since 1893 with the wash and the formula now 
recommended by the writer's office is as follows: Resin, 
20 pounds; crude caustic soda (78 per cent.) 5 pounds; 
fish oil, 2^ pints; water to make 100 gallons. Ordinary 
commercial resin is used, and the caustic soda is that 




FIG. 62. CYNIPID PARASITE OF HOP PLANT LOUSE. 
Greatly eiilari^^ed. (From U. S. De|iartiiieiit of Agriculture.) 

put Up for soap establishments in large 200-pound 
drums. Smaller quantities may be obtained at soap 
factories, or the granulated caustic soda (98 per cent.) 
used — 3^ pounds of the latter being equivalent to five 
pounds of the former. Place these substances, with 
the oil, in a kettle with water to cover them to a depth 
of three or four inches. Boil about two hours, making 
occasional additions of water, or until the compound 
resembles verv stron^r, black cof¥ee. Dilute to one- 
third the final bulk with hot water, or with cold water 
added slowly over the fire, making a stock mixture 
to be diluted to the full amount as used. When 
sprayed the miixture should be perfectly fluid. 



12G THE HOP. 

v/ithoiit sediment, and should any appear in the 
stock mixture, reheatmg should be resorted to, 
and in fact the wash is preferably applied hot. 
These resin washes, it should be stated, are appli- 
cable only in regions where there are comparatively 
long rainless periods, since they are readily washed 
from the trees by rain. The standard wash, now in use 
m the state of Washington consists of six pounds of 
quassia chips and five pounds whale-oil soap to lOO gal- 
lons water, and it is said that many growers get excel- 
lent results from this mixture. 

As to apparatus for the application of these insecti- 
cides, little need be said. So many excellent machines 
are on the market that the hop grower will have no 
difficulty in selecting one suited to his needs and the 
condition of his finances. Homemade machines con- 
sist simply of a barrel mounted upon a sled with a 
pump inserted in its top. Long :^-inch 3-ply hose, 
bearing "cyclone" nozzles and supported by bamboo 
poles, afford easy means of reaching all parts of the 
plants. 

Condifions in the Different Hop-Growing Regions — 
We have referred in our introductory paragraph to the 
fact that this insect brings about appreciable damage 
only occasionally. Thus, in the great hop-growing 
region of central New York there have been no fields 
totally destroyed l:)y the louse since 1886. In 1891, in 
the early part of the season, there was a hop louse scare 
among growers and considerable damage was antici- 
pated, but with the dry season in July the insects almost 
entirely disappeared. There have been more or less 
lice every year since 1886 and some fields have turned 
out a poor quality of hops in consequence of mold in 
the burr, caused indirectly by the lice and by damp, 
warm climatic conditions just before harvesting. It 
seems to be an accei>ted fact that those growers who 
are free from wild plum trees and have their yards on 



PESTS OF THE HOP CROP. 



127 



the upland usually have less mold than growers with 
yards along lake shores 

In Oregon, the damage was greater in 1890, two 
years after the introduction of the insect, than it has 
been since, with the possible exception of 1897. In 
1891 there was less injury than in 1890; 1897 was a 
year of considerable damage, the extent varying from 
2 per cent, of the crop in one yard to 95 per cent, in 
another. The average loss, the state entomologist 




FIG. 63. HOP GRUB 

a, Segment of larva; h, larva; r, pupa; </, adult. All natural size except a. 
(Author's illustration.) 

(Prof. Cordley) states, was about 33 1-3 per cent. It 
was fully 50 per cent, in the neighborhood of Corvallis. 
In Washington the damage has been more or less 
constant since 1890. I am informed by Prof. Piper, 
state entomologist, that some of the best hop growers 
in the state of Washington grow A i hops with but one 
spraying, using whale-oil soap and quassia chips, while 
others spray two or three times. In the Yakima val- 
ley, he states, the summer heat is so great that the 
louse succumbs to it, although it may be abundant 
early in the season, and it has not been necessary to 
spray in that region, which, by the way, is irrigated, 



i-2S THE IIOl'. 

sage-brush land. Nevertheless, on account of the ex- 
pense of spraying in western Washington, Professor 
Piper is of the opinion that hop growing wdll never 
again become the industry that it w^as prior to the 
introduction of the louse. There is some prevalent 
opinion in Washington that the life history given in 
preceding sections will not hold for that part of the 
country. Growers claim that winged lice occur 
throughout the season and they do not believe that all 
the winter eggs are deposited on prune or plum trees. 
This statement seems extremely improbable to the 
writer, but it must be stated that no observations have 
been made in that part of the country which are at all 
comparable with the extremely careful ones carried on 
in New York in 1887. Nevertheless, Mr. Koebele, when 
in Oregon in 1893, was able to set at rest one of the local 
misapprehensions, which was to the efifect that the hop 
louse occurs also on one of the mints. He sent speci- 
mens of the insect to the city of Washington, where, 
upon examination, it was found that although the 
resemblance was extremely close, the mint insect 
belonged to a dififerent species of the same genus, 
Phorodon. 

The hop plant louse made its first appearance in 
the Wisconsin hop district in 1867-68, and from that 
time on was more or less abundant every season, some 
years almost entirely destroying the crop, and in others 
causing only partial loss. Its attacks have practically 
ruined the hop industry of the state. 

THE HOP GRUB OR HOP-PLANT BORER 

{Gortyna immariis, Grt.) 

This insect probably ranks second in importance 
among those wdiich we shall mention, although of late 
years it has been vastly less destructive than the plant 
louse. It is a distinctive North American insect and is 
known as a hop pest cnly in the east. The moth has 



l^ESTS OF THE HOP CROP. 12U 

been found in the state of Washington, but the grub 
has not been reported to damage the hop yards in that 
state. 

In 1882 the insect was brought to the attention of 
Professor Comstock, of Cornell University, who first 
learned its complete life history, and in 1883 it was 
investigated by Dr. J. B. Smith, then an agent of the 
United States Department of Agriculture. Since that 
time no reports of serious damage have been received. 
A prominent hop grower writes me from Richfield 
Springs, N. Y,, under date of January 20, 1898, that 
the grub usually eats ofi^ some vines, but seldom does 
much damage. SkunkS; he writes, are plentiful, and 
they dig the grubs out of the hop fields in the summer. 

The adult moth of the hop grub, shown at Fig. 63, 
lays its eggs in the early part of the season upon the 
young shoots of the plant. The young caterpillars, 
which are slender and greenish in color, spotted with 
black, bore into the vines just below the tip and remain 
at this point for some time. The head turns downward 
and stops growing. Such vines are called "muffle 
heads" or ''stag vines," and sometimes "bullheads," 
by the growers, and the caterpillar inhabiting them is 
called the "tip worm." A little later the grub drops 
to the ground and enters the stem at the surface of the 
ground. It is then called the "collar worm." It 
changes to a dark, whitish color with black spots. 
About the end of July or the first of August it becomes 
full-grown, and transforms to pupa near the roots of 
the plant. The moths seem to issue in part in the 
fall and in part in the spring, and the insect, therefore, 
passes the winter in the moth state under rubbish and 
in fence cracks, as well as in the pupal state under- 
ground. 

As to remedies, where the insects are really abun- 
dant, it is always desirable that the men engaged in ty- 
ing the vines should pinch off affected tips and crush the 
9 



130 THE HOP 

worm. Many of them are easily destroyed in this way. 
Others, however, escape, drop to the ground and begin 
work at the crown. A generally adopted remedy at 
this time is high hilling and fertilizing, which induces 
the putting out of rootlets above the main root, en- 
abling the vines to derive nourishment through this 
channel when the stem has been gnawed through. An 
experienced grower in Otsego county, N. Y., recom- 
mends that at the first hoeing the dirt be care- 
fully worked away from the vines by the hoe, leaving 
them bare down to the bedroot. The weather tough- 
ens the lower part of the stem and renders it unat- 
tractive to the grub. Immediately after the hoeing, 
a handful of composite, consisting of equal parts of salt, 
quicklime and hen manure, mixed while slaking the 
lime and left standing for two weeks, should be placed 
about each vine root. 

CATERPILLARS FEEDING UPON HOP LEAVES 

Several different kinds of caterpillars feed on the 
leaves of the hop plant during the summer, but they 
are easily controlled and seldom do any especial dam- 
age. Certain of these species may be illustrated and 
briefly mentioned. All are readily destroyed by an 
arsenical spray. Should any one of these insects 
become sufificiently numerous to threaten damage, and 
any of them is at all times liable to sudden increase, 
the yards should be promptly sprayed with Paris green 
or London purple, in the proportion of one pound to 
T50 gallons of water, or wnth arsenate of lead in the 
proportion of two pounds to too gallons of water. 

THE HOP VINE SNOUT-MOTH (Hf/peMa liumuU, HaiT. ) 

In 1856 Dr. Fitch, writing of this insect, considered 
it to be the most universal and formidable of the hop 
insects, making its appearance suddenly, and some- 
times in a few days completely riddling and destroying 



PESTS OF THE HOP CROP. 



131 



the leaves of whole fields The rather slender, green 
caterpillars make their appearance in the latter part 
of May, feed upon the substance of the leaves until 
full-grown, and then form thin, imperfect, silken 
cocoons within a folded leaf or in a crevice or shel- 
tered spot, transforming to chrysalids and issuing as 
moths three weeks later. There are two annual gen- 
erations, the second brood of caterpillars being found 




FIG. 64. HOP VINE SNOUT-MOTH. 

a, Egg; 6, larva; <7, pupa; /, niotli. All enlarged; natural size indicated by dots 
and hair lines. (Aulhor's illustration.) 

upon the vines in August. The insect hibernates in 
the moth stage. 

HOP MERCHANTS (Poh/(/onia iuierrogationis, Godart, 
and Polygon ia comma, Harr.) 

These are common, widespread, and, in the adult 
stage, handsome butterflies, occurring in most parts of 
the eastern United States, and in the caterpillar stage 
feeding not only upon the hop, but also upon the elm 
and several other closely allied plants. They have 
derived their name of "hop merchants" through 
the gold and silver markings upon the chrysa- 
lids, which occasionally, probably through para- 
sitism, become sufifused and give a general gold- 



13:i 



THE nop. 



en or silvery tinge to the chrysalids. As I have 
shown in another pubhcation, an interesting su- 
perstition is more or less laughingly held among 
New York hop growers, to the effect that when the 
golden spots are plentiful, the crop will be good and 
the price high, while, if the silvery cocoons are more 
abundant, the price will be low. Both of these insects 
are double-brooded in hop-growing regions, and they 
are shown in their different stages in the accom- 



a 




FIG. 65. INTERROGATION BUTTERFLY. 

a, Eggs; 6, larva; c, chrysalis; r/, adult. All natural size except «, which is en- 
larsed. (Author's illustration.) 

panying figures. The spiny caterpillars are readily 
recognized, and feed without concealment upon the 
upper or under surface of the leaf. They are frequently 
extensively parasitized in the caterpillar stage, as well 
as in the eg^ stage, by minute hymenopterous para- 
sites, a fact which accounts in large measure for the 
slight damage done by these insects under ordinary 
circumstances. 



PESTS OF THE HOP CROP. 



133 



THE ZEBRA CATERPILLAR (Mamestra ^jicta, HaiT.) 
This well-known and polyphagic insect is found 
frequently upon hops. It occurs from Canada south to 
Virginia, and west to Nebraska, and has evidently of 
late years been carried into California. It feeds upon 
blackberry, poke weed, lamb's quarter, goose foot, 




FIG. 66. COMMA BUTTERFLY. 

rt, Eggs; i, larva; r, chrysalis; d, adult. All natural size except «, which is en 
largetl. (Author's illustration.) 

worm seed, cabbage, aster, honeysuckle, white berry, 
mignonette, asparagus, ruta-baga, beet, cauliflower, 
spinach, bean, pea and celery, and is thus a common gar- 
den pest. The eggs of this insect are deposited on the 
lower sides of the leaves in clusters of from 250 to 300. 



134 



THE HOP. 



The young caterpillars, at first almost black, but after- 
wards pale green in color, feed together in bands on 
the undersides of the leaves. When they reach the 
third stage, they begin to scatter, and thereafter feed 
singly, assuming a velvety black color, w^ith two nar- 
row yellow lines down the sides, between which are 
numerous transverse irregular finer, yellow lines. When 
full-grown, they burrow into the ground and change to 
pupae in about two days. The insects pass the winter 
in the pupal stage, the moths issuing in May and June. 
The young caterpillars are found from the first week in 




FIG. 67. ZEBRA CATERPILLAR. 
«, Larva; ^', adult. Natural size. (After Riley.) 

June to the first week in July, and reach their full 
growth in about four weeks. A second brood of moths 
in more southern localities appears during the early 
part of July. 

THE COMMON WOOLLY BEAR CATERPILLAR 

{Spilosoma virginica, Fab.) 
This is another common, widespread species with 
many food plants, which is quite often found in the hop 
yards, feeding upon the weeds, as well as upon hop 



PESTS OF THE HOP CROP. 



135 



vines. The caterpillars when full-grown are very vora- 
cious and will devour an entire leaf in an incredibly 
short time. They are not frequently seen upon the 
plant, since they drop readily when disturbed and 
remain quiet for a few minutes, but they are quick 
travellers when in motion. The eggs are laid on the 
lower sides of the leaves, in batches of from 50 to 100 
or more. The full-grown larva is an inch and a half 
in length and very variable in color. It is covered 
with stiff hairs, which are sometimes white, intermixed 
with a few yellow or brown ones, or they are yellow, 
red, brown, or almost black, sometimes darkest at both 




cc- 



FIG. 68. WOOLLY BEAR CATERPILLAR. 

a. Larva; 6, pupa; c, adult. Natural size. (After Riley.) 

ends, or all colors mixed. The cocoon is mostly com- 
posed of hairs of the caterpillar, and is spun in any suit- 
able sheltered position. There is apparently but one 
annual generation, and the insect hibernates both in 
the caterpillar stage and in the pupal stage in its 
cocoon. The figure which we give represents perhaps 
the commonest variety of the caterpillar. 

THE SADDLE-BACK CATERPILLAR 

{Empretia stimulea, Clem.) 
This insect is another of the general feeders, and 
will probably not play an important part as a hop 



130 THE HOP. 

insect, for the reason that it is a normal denizen of 
regions too far south for the successful commercial 
cultivation of the hop. In fact, the only hop-grow- 
ing region where it has ever been found is in southern 
Wisconsin, and, as has been shown, the culture of hops 
has been largely abandoned in that state. It occurs, 
however, commonly upon the hop vines grown in the 
dooryards throughout the southern and mid-western 
states, and will readily be recognized from the accom- 
panying figure. It is one of the stinging or urticating 
caterpillars, and its spines coming in contact with a 
delicate skin have very much the effect of one of the 




FIG. 69. SADDLE-BACK CATERPILLAR. 

Natural size. (After Riley.) 

nettle plants. The insect over-winters in the pupal 
state within its cocoon, and there are two or more gen- 
erations each year. 

OTHER CATERPILLARS 

Descriptions of the remaining leaf-feeding cater- 
pillars will hardly be necessary in this connection. The 
species found most commonly upon the hop are as fol- 
lows: Thccla htiiuitli, Harr.; Ctcnucha virginica, Charp.; 
Acronycta bnimosa, Guen.; Acronycta amcricana,'H.a.rv., 
Orgyia antiqiia, L." Halisidofa caryae, Harr.; Halisidota 
fcsscUata, S. &A.; Plusia prccationis,Guen.\ Lciicarctia 
acraca, Dru.; Hypena scabra, Fab., and Hyphaiitria 
cunca, Dru. 



PESTS OF THE HOP CROP. 



13? 



LEAF HOPPERS WHICH AFFECT THE HOP 

Several species of the little insects properly called 
leaf hoppers, but which vine growers have become 
used to calling "thrips," occur upon the hop plant, 
and in dry seasons sometimes cause the leaves to turn 
brown and wilt, thus doing about the same character of 




FIG. 70. HOP VINE LEAF HOPPER. 
Tettigonia confiuenta, with enlarged structural details. Enlarged (original) 

damage in dry weather which the hop plant louse does 
in damp weather. The most serious case which has 
been brought to our attention was in 1891, when speci- 
mens of the species here figured, namely, Tettigonia 



138 THE HOP. 

confiucnta. Say, were received from Puyallup, Wash., 
in August, with the statement that they were very 
numerous upon the blossoms or cones, and were injur- 
ing their quahty to some extent. Further reports of 
damage of the same nature have not since been 
received, but it is an insect which hop growers of the 
northwest should know and should guard against. In 
the east, the most abundant of the leaf hoppers found 
in the hop yards is TypJilocyha rosac, numbers of which 
were found in the yards at Richfield Springs, N. Y., in 
June, 1887, causing more or less damage to the foliage. 
Another species, more closely related to the one found 
in the state of Washington, was collected in numbers 
on the hop vines at Waterville, N. Y., in July, 1883, by 
Dr. Smith. It is a handsome species of the genus TypJi- 
locyha, and is of a yellowish-green color. Dr. Smith 
found that yards badly affected with lice had none of 
these hoppers, while in yards in which the lice were 
absent, the hoppers were rhdre numerous. 

Nearly all of these leaf hoppers over-winter in the 
adult condition, under leaves and rubbish at the surface 
of the ground. A hop yard, therefore, which is thor- 
oughly cleaned up in the autumn, and all leaves and 
rubbish burned, will generally be free from this insect. 
Where they are very abundant in the summer time, 
there are two remedies which may be adopted. The 
great activity of these insects under ordinary circum- 
stances makes spraying inefTective, but during the early 
morning or late in the evening — especially on a cool, 
moist day — they are more torpid and can then be struck 
by a spray of kerosene emulsion. A method which has 
been adopted in New York vineyards and also to some 
extent in California vineyards, is to make a light shield 
of a lath frame, with cloth stretched over it, and this, 
when saturated with kerosene or painted with tar, is 
carried through the field to the leeward of the vines, 
the vines being stirred on the other side. The hoppers 



PESTS OF THE HOP CROP. 139 

fly against the kerosened or tarred surface, and are thus 
destroyed in large numbers. 

BEETLES FEEDING ON HOP LEAVES 

Several species of leaf beetles are frequently found 
in the hop yards, and gnaw holes in the leaves, thus 
disfiguring them, but seldom injuring the plant. 
Among these are the red-headed flea-beetle (Systcna 
frontalis), the striped flea-beetle {Phyllotrcta vittafa), 
the punctured flea-beetle {Psylliodcs pn)ictiilata), dind the 
twelve-spotted leaf beetle {Diabrotica 12- punctata). 
These species were found by Dr. Smith at Waterville. 
Mr. Pergande, at Richfield Springs, collected Phyllo- 




FIG. 71. STRIPED FLEA-BEETLE, 
a, Larva; 6, adult. Enlarged. (From U. S. Department of Aj,aiculture.) 

treta inttata; Crcpidodcra hcLvincs, the common willow 
flea-beetle; Epitrix cncunicris, the potato flea-beetle; 
DiaboUa borcalis, the common plantain leaf miner; Psyl- 
liodcs pnnctulafa, a common and widespread species. 
None of these insects is peculiar to the hop plant. 
The common striped flea-beetle is shown in the accom- 
panying figure. 

THE SO-CALLED "RED SPIDER," OR SPINNING MITE 

Hop fields in England have occasionally suffered 
to a considerable extent from the damage done to the 



14(1 



THE HOP. 



foliage by what appears to be the common red spider 
of our American greenhouses (Tctranychits tclarius), 
although English writers have found sufficient differ- 
ence between the spinning mite found in the hop fields 
and the ordinary form to establish a new variety which 
they call T. tclarins var. hiinnili. In 1868, and again 
in 1893, this little mite did much mischief in many hop 
yards. The leaves fell ofif, the burr or blossom was 
damaged, and in some instances the plants were com- 
pletely shrivelled up. In 1897, again serious injury 
was threatened, but a succession of showers and a fall 
of temperature fortunately checked multiplication. The 
first indication of the presence of these mites is the 




FIG. 72. "RED SPIDER," OR SPINNING MITE. 

Female, male and eng— greatly enlarged. (Redrawn from Journal of the Board 
of Agriculture of England for December, 1897.) 

yellowing of the lower leaves of the plant, and when 
examined carefully upon the under surface, thick, 
silken webs will be seen spreading from rib to rib, 
under which the mites live, actively sucking the juices 
of the leaf. The remedies adopted in England are very 
sensible, and consist, principally, of a heavy spray of 
soap and water and sulphide of potassium. Sulphur 
in any form is a specific against mites, and a spray of 
kerosene soap emulsion, to which a small quantity of 
flowers of sulphur has been added, is generally 
effective. 



PESTS OF THE HOP CROP. 141 

I am not prepared to say that this same mite is 
found in American hop fields, but in September, 1887, 
Mr. Pergande found at Waterville, N. Y., a species 
closely related to the common red spider of green- 
houses, which occurred in large numbers on the lower 
side of many leaves of the hop plants, doing consider- 
able damage to the foliage and covering themselves 
with a web just as the spinning mite of the hop fields 
of England is reported to do. It bore a strong super- 
ficial resemblance to the common so-called red spider, 
but had six-jointed legs instead of seven-jointed legs. 

Professor Osborn, in Wisconsin, in September, 
1887, found what he took to be the true Tctr any dins 
tclarhis in almost every hop yard visited, and in some 
so plentiful as to cause conspicuous injury to the leaves. 
It should be stated that in Wisconsin that summer the 
hop plant louse seemed to be entirely absent. He 
found eggs, young mites and full-grown mites abun- 
dantly under the very delicate web spun over the under 
surface of the leaf, the upper surface indicating their 
presence by rusty patches and a red or yellow discolor- 
ation. No attack was made on the burr, so that the 
damage consisted simply in loss of vitality to the plant. 
The growers generally did not consider the mite as of 
any importance. Prof. Osborn has suggested the 
obvious remedy of burning the plants as soon as they 
become dry enough to burn after picking. Thus, there 
is a possibility that the European mite already occurs 
in this country, and that trouble may ensue in excep- 
tional seasons. 

PRACTICAL DIRECTIONS FOR SPRAYING 

Such poor results from spraying have been 
reported that in addition to Dr. Howard's very com- 
plete and scientific exposition of the subject, we add 
some directions and experiences from practical grow- 
ers who have successfully applied the foregoing meth- 
ods. Writing for Washington statC; Hart says: 



142 THE HOP. 

"The mixture most esteemed here is quassia chips and 
whaleoil soap. For each acre to be sprayed, soak in cold 
water the first time 10 pounds of quassia chips in 25 gallons 
of soft water; the second time you will boil them for two 
hours. Also boil five pounds of whaleoil soap in 25 gallons of 
soft water until the soap is thoroughly dissolved; then strain 
the same, mixing them alternately into a clean barrel, a 
bucket at a time, and stirring together. 

"Place your barrel, which should have a force pump 
attached thereto, upon a good sled, with one man to pump 
and drive (a steady horse being necessary), and two men to 
spray, one on each side. Each man sprays two rows of vines, 
making four rows in all sprayed at one time. Use a fine rose 
nozzle, being especially careful and particular to spray the 
underside of the leaves. All the men should be clothed in 
oil or green coats and hats, to protect them from the spray, 
for in a wind it is almost impossible to do good work. There 
should not be less than three sprayings, four is safer, the 
last one ]ust as the hops are forming, and the liquor that 
time may be slightly reduced in strength so as not to injure 
the hop. In the short pole system, one objection is the diffi- 
culty of getting through without severe scratchings, and the 
team often is entangled in the vines crossing over the twine 
above their heads." 

For Oregon, Walcott writes: 

"In the future, we cannot count on a crop of good quality 
without spraying. There are many methods and formulas, 
the one most in use being a solution of whaleoil soap and 
quassia chips. The proportion varies from eight pounds of quas- 
sia chips and seven pounds soap to six pounds of quassia chips 
and 12 pounds of soap to the acre. I have met with good success 
with the last named proportion. The quassia chips should 
be fresh and finely cut, and the whaleoil soap must be strictly 
pure and of 80 per cent. test. 

"Many growers have been disappointed in spraying be- 
cause they used an inferior quality of material. Weigh out 
20 pounds of chips and put them in a burlap sack, tie the 
end of the sack, sink it in a barrel of water and soak 24 
hours. Then turn the water into a tank under which a fire 
can be built, put in the sack of chips and let them remain 
until the water commences to boil; then remove the sack of 
chips, from which all the strength has now been extracted. 
Now turn into the tank 40 pounds of soap, and boil until the 
soap is all dissolved; then add water until there are 50 gallons 
of the solution. In spraying, use five gallons of this solution 
to 85 gallons of water. It usually takes about 120 gallons of 
spray to go over an acre. With a roller sprayer and three 
men and two horses, eight acres can be sprayed a day, provided 
water is plentiful and near and the land reasonably level. 



PESTS OF THE HOP CROP. 



143 



"Spraying should be commenced as soon as the lice make 
their appearance and should be continued as often as neces- 
sary, until the hops begin to burr, after which the spraying 
will do but little good, as the lice get inside the hop, where 
the spray cannot touch them. The number of times it is 




FIG. 73. NEEDLE-NOSED HOP BUG {Colocoris fulvomaculatiis). 

b. Proboscis, greatly enlarged. 

necessary to spray a hop yard depends upon the location, 
the density of the foliage of the vines and the weather dur- 
ing the months of June and July, as hop lice breed and in- 
crease very rapidly in damp, rainy weather and very slowly 
in hot, dry weather." 



144 



THE HOP. 



We find comparatively little in English or German 
methods to add to the foregoing, and the latter may 
well profit by American experience. Kentish planters 
take more care than others to prevent vines being too 
thick, and emphasize the fact that plenty of sunshine 
among the leaves is one of the best safeguards against 
lice and mold. A Washington farmer sets two or three 
rows of tobacco plants about his hop yards, which seem 
to attract the winged lice on their way from the plum 



vf 




FIG. 74. HOP VINE AFFECTED BY NEEDLE-NOSED HOP BUG. 

Show iiif( "scars" on hop vine. «, Due to tlio Calocom; />, holes in leaf due to 
punctures by the Anthocoris, a somewhat similar insect. 

tree to the vines, and cause them to die after feeding 
on the tobacco. In 1895, much injury was done in 
England by the needle-nosed hop bug (Fig. 73), which 
with its long, sharp proboscis (Fig 73, h) punctured the 
tender parts of the vine (Fig. 74), not only drawing 
out the sap, but leaving a wound that bled and weak- 
ened the vine. The only thing that disabled them was 
12 pounds of soft soap to 100 gallons of water (or of 



PESTS or THE HOP CROP, 



145 



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.;^,- ^^^nS&Tvi^- 







r- i '" ,f' .■■■ Vf^: -^ 









11^ 



II- 






10 



FIG. 75. AN EELWORM DISEASE OF HOPS. 

[For explanation, see Page 147.] 



14 G THE HOP. 

Other washes) sprayed on a dull day, when the bugs are 
less active; they are best treated during the wingless 
stage early in the season. 

Prof. Jno. R. Smith lays as much stress now upon 
ladybirds for destroying hop lice as in 1887, when he 
first called attention to them and their larvae known 
as ''niggers." 

"Three species are found in abundance on hop vines. 
The most numerous is the two-spotted ladybird {Adalia 
hipunctata), a small red species, with two black spots on the 
wing covers. Next comes the nine-spotted ladybird {Cocci- 
nelhr 9-notafa), a larger species, with nine black spots on its 
yellowish-red wing covers, and least numerous of all is the 
twice-stabbed ladybird (Chiloconts hinihwrus), smaller thaa 
either, entirely black, except two blood-red spots on the 
wing covers. The larvae of these species are all very much 
alike, and of an elongated, flat form, tapering toward the 
tip, with six legs; of a grayish-black color, spotted and 
marked with red or yellow. They are very active and very 
rapacious, feeding almost continually, and each larva 
destroys many lice before attaining maturity. When full- 
grown, they attach themselves by the tail to a leaf, curl up 
into a round pellet, and in a few days transform into the per- 
fect beetle, which also feeds on the aphis, but is not so 
voracious as the larva. There are several broods of the 
insect in the season, the last transforming into the perfect 
insect about the middle or toward the end of September. 

"The beetles hibernate in crevices of fences, under bark of 
trees, or stones, or wherever else they can find shelter, and 
reappear in spring to continue the work where they left off 
the year before. Were it possible to preserve a sufficient 
number of these insects through the winter, so that a goodly 
number of them would be on hand in early spring, the lice 
would never become numerous enough to do injury; as it is, 
but few survive the winter, and before they become numer- 
ous the lice, propagating more rapidly, become so plentiful that 
they are beyond control. But, seriously, there is no reason 
why these coccinellids cannot be wintered. They become 
very numerous in fall, and several hundreds of them could 
be collected without difficulty, put into a large box with 
plenty of loose rubbish, and kept in some cool place not 
exposed to the fiercest cold, nor yet so warm as to cause 
them to become active- a barn or cellar would answer. The 
box should be covered so as to prevent the entrance of spi- 
derS; which would feed on them. In spring, the box could be 
placed in the open air, and the insects would then scatter 
through the yards in search of suitable places to deposit eggs. 
I firmly believe that this could be done without much 



PESTS OF THE HOP CROP. 



147 



trouble, and that it would prove the best possible remedy 
to prevent the spread of or damage by the aphides." 

The eelworm disease causes sickly looking bines 

and curling of the leaf. The trouble is due to a minute 

eelworm, which slits and injures the delicate rootlets. 

The accompanying cut (Fig. 75) is from The Journal of 

the Wye Agricultural College for April, 1895. I shows 

the leaves, smaller in size than usual, a under, b upper, 

surface, showing characteristic curling of edges and 




FIG. 76. THREADS OF HYPHAE OF HOP MOLD {Sphcerotheca 

castagnei). 

Summer, or active stage, a. Erect hypha, giving rise to chains of spores (conidia). 
b. Free "spore" (conidium). 

puckering of veins; natural size. II, Cross-section of 
leaf, enlarged forty times, showing abnormal tissue. 
Ill, As in II, showing further growth of tissue at side 
of midrib. IV, Cross-section of root, natural size, and 
V, lengthwise section, both showing effect of stem- 
eelvv^orm {l\dcnchus dci'astatrix). VI, Hop rootlet with 
attached females of eelworm (Hcfcrodcra scJiacJitii), 
almost natural size. VII, Magnified cross-section of 
rootlet, showing eelworms at work. VIII, a, female 



148 THE HOP. 

eelworm; b, ditto, broken, showing eggs and larvae. 
IX, Eggs at different stages, and the young worm, 
magnified 250 times. Dig out and burn infected plants. 
Lime, one-half ton per acre, or sulphate of potash, 200 
to 400 pounds per acre, are the remedies suggested. 

FUNGOUS PESTS BLIGHT, MOLDS, ETC. 

"Fire blast'* and "red rust" are not common in 
the United States, and the latter at least is due to an 
insect (the red spider) rather than to a fungus. Mildew 
and mold are also comparatively rare, though the 




FIG. 77. ASCOCARPS OF "HOP MOLD." 
Autumn, or resting stage. Highly magnified. 

attacks of lice often cause a blackened condition igno- 
rantly called **mold." Mildew is one of the worst pests 
in England, and in damp seasons is almost equally de- 
structive in Europe. The best account of the hop mold 
or its treatment is Percival's, in the Journal of the Wye 
(Kent) Agricultural College, under whose direction the 
test has been carefully studied and experimented with. 
Symptoms — Tn the earliest stages, the mold is seen as 
small^ light-colored patches, chiefly upon the upper surface 
of the leave?. If the nights are cold and damp and the hop 
plants in a backward or weakened condition, the patches 



PESTS OF THE HOP CROP. l-iO 



soon increase in size, generally regularly from a center, so 
that the spots are approximately circular. As the patches 
increase to about one-eighth of an inch across, they become 
whiter in color (Fig. 76), and have a dusty or floury appear- 
ance. Fresh spots show themselves on the younger leaves 
and in bad cases the malady spreads from the lower leaves, 
where it is generally first seen, to those higher on the 
plant and even to the tender shoots and young hops. In 
all cases the plants suffer in health, but it is only when the 
tender shoots and young growth are attacked that serious 
damage is done. The young hops and tips of the laterals 
on the bine then lose their soft, succulent character and 
become deformed; the parts attacked dry up, and develop- 
ment is stopped. Often the white patches of mold do not 
spread; the spots lose their dusty appearance and vanish, 
leaving behind always a small yellow or brown dead place 
upon the leaf attacked. More frequently, however, if the 
mold is allowed to remain unchecked, and the weather is 
unfavorable to the growth of the hop plant, the patches, 
especially on the lower surface of the leaves and on the 
young hops, become covered with extremely small, dark, 
rusty-brown specks, and the white, dusty character of the 
spot gradually disappears. 

The time at which mold is first observed varies with 
the season. Gardens once seriously attacked and neglected 
are always specially liable to an annual recurrence of the 
disease, unless measures are taken to get rid of the trouble. 
Cause — The ordinary symptoms can readily be seen and 
followed by the naked eye, but the exact cause and process 
of development can only be appreciated fully after making 
observations with a good microscope. A mold spot in its 
early stages is then seen to be made up of a tangled mass 
of branching threads (hyphae). The threads are clear, 
transparent, hollow tubes, filled with living substance 
(protoplasm), and constitute the body or spawn (mycelium) 
of a fungus, known as SphacrotJieca castagnei, which is 
one of a large class known as "true," or "surface" mildews. 
Careful observations show that the threads are not merely 
resting on the surface of the leaf, like a tangled skein of 
cotton upon a table; they cannot be blown away or washed 
off, as at various points they are attached by short suckers 
(haustoria) which just penetrate into the substance of the 
leaf and serve the double purpose of holding the fungus in 
its place and acting as roots to suck up and convey the sap 
from the hop plant into its own body. The spawn of the 
fungus or mold thus lives upon the substances manufactured 
in the hop leaf, and is enabled to grow and spread. Not long 
after the fungus threads are established, they send up into 
the air short branches which give rise in a little time to 
rows or chains of minute oval-shaped bodies (Fig. 76a). 
known as spores (conidia). These spores, which for ordinary 



150 



THE HOP. 



purposes may be looked upon as "seeds," are very small. 
They soon fall oft" the branch producing them (Fig. 16b), and 
by their number — many thousands in a single mold spot — 
increase the mealy appearance of the aft'ected part. Being 
necessarily very light, many are blown about by the wind. 
Under proper conditions of moisture and temperature each 
one can germinate in a few hours and produce a small 
thread which fastens itself to the leaf of the hop and begins 
a new mold spot. We can thus understand how quickly and 
silently mold can spread in a garden. From one small patch 
several thousands can arise in a few days by the production 
and dissemination of these spores by the wind, much as 
thistles and other weeds may be spread about the country 
after seeds are produced. The germination of spores, and the 




FIG. 78. SINGLE ASCOCARP. 

5, Burst, showing a'^cus. a, With its contained ascospores. c, Free ascospores. 

Highly magnified. 

growth of spawn producing more spores, can be repeated 
over and over again in a few day?, and it is in this way that 
the mold spreads during the summer. 

The spores and spawn, such as we have mentioned, are 
short lived and cannot exist through the winter. The fun- 
gus, however, in autumn, or when the leaf upon which it 
is living begins to die, produces upon its body of threads 
small round cases containing another kind of spore, which 
has the power of resting during winter, and when fully 
developed, these round cases (ascocarps. Fig. 77) are dark 
brown in color, or almost black, and give a rusty appearance 
to mold spots which have been allowed to develop un- 
checked, especially those on the underside of leaves and on 



PESTS OF THE HOP CROP 151 

the young hop cones. They are hollow, and constructed 
somewhat like a football, that is, one case inside another. 
The outer case is made of dark brown, strong material 
(Fig. 786), and acts as a protective coat for the delicate, 
transparent, pear-shaped case (ascus) inside (Fig. 78^/). The 
latter contains within it eight spores (Fig. 78c) (ascospores) 
about the shape and size as those produced upon the 
upright threads mentioned above, only they do not germi- 
nate so readily. These double cases, with their spores, are 
produced in large numbers in late summer or autumn in 
a badly affected garden, and fall upon the ground with the 
dead leaves, and the spores within are shot out into the 
air, and are carried to the young bines and leaves, which 
are then grov/ing from the hill. Thus we see why it is that 
mold generally commences close to the ground and spreads 
upwards, and why there are "moldy places" in the gardens, 
where the malady begins almost every year. 

Remedies — It will be understood from the fore- 
going accoLuit that we are dealing with a living pest, 
and that it is just as impossible to create "mold" as it 
is to manufacture aphides or lice. Various methods 
of cultivation and treatment of the hop plant and gar- 
den may be condticive to the growth and development 
of the "mold" fungus, but unless its spores are present 
or are introduced into the garden from outside, spots 
cannot occur. Whatever remedies are adopted, it is 
absolutely essential that they should be begun early, 
as neglect means failure. The pest soon becomes 
established and is then difficult to eradicate. 

I. Although the complete destruction of hop 
mold is unattainable, every effort should be made to 
diminish its prevalence by burning all badly affected 
vines and leaves. This practice should especially be 
carried out in cases after a bad attack, where the hops 
have been not worth picking on account of moldiness. 
The vines should on no account be left lying about, as 
the spore cases are produced in thousands and fall upon 
the ground, only to remain a certain source of infection 
for succeeding years. The application of gypsum to 
the soil is said to be beneficial in such circumstances, 
but no trustworthy experiments upon this matter have 



152 THE HOP. 

been carried out. Possibly lime might help to destroy 
the spore cases. 

2. Certain varieties of hops seem to be specially 
liable to suffer from this trouble, but apart from possi- 
ble inherent differences in the plants, more careful 
manuring should be adopted in order to produce a 
healthy growth. Excessive amounts of nitrogenous 
manures make the leaves more readily attackable by 
mold. Anything which reduces the vitality of the hop 
— such as cold and damp nights, long continued 
drouth, or wet weather and want of proper amount of 
sunshine and fresh air — indirectly aids mold in its rav- 
ages. It is generally in '*housed-in" parts where the 
air is still and damp and where light does not easily 
penetrate that the worst effects are seen. Systems of 
training hops should aim at reducing these drawbacks 
to a minimum. Early training of the lower part of the 
bine diminishes the likelihood of attack from the soil 
and also allows of better air circulation. 

3. The hop-mold fungus not only lives upon 
hops, but also upon many wild plants — groundsel, dan- 
delion, strawberry, avens, meadow sweet, and many 
others. There is little doubt that it is from such 
sources outside the yard that many attacks of mold 
are begun. 

4. The fungus lives and develops almost entirely 
upon the outside of the leaf, and on this account it 
would appear more easy to deal with it by means of 
washes and external applications of powdered sub- 
stances that those cases like the potato disease, where 
the growth of the fungus goes on chiefly inside the 
leaf. The application by hand or bellows or by spe- 
cially constructed sulphurators of finely powdered sul- 
phur to the affected leaf is a remedy for mildews of 
various kinds, which has been employed for about half 
a century. 

Mechanically powdered sulphur — roll brimstone 



PESTS OF THE HOP CROP. 153 

reduced to a finely pulverized state, by hand or machin- 
erv — acts better than that form known as "flowers of 
sulphur," obtained by condensation of its vapor or by 
precipitation processes. In any case, the substance 
acts in two ways (i) as a fungicide — that is, a definite 
destroyer of the mold; and (2) as a protection against 
further attacks and spreading, as spores will not ger- 
minate upon a sulphured leaf. 

It is chiefly as a protector that sulphur is so bene- 
ficial, and on this account every endeavor should be 
made to distribute it upon the youngest growth. As 
a direct fungicide, it possesses little effect, and even for 
this small l)enefit it must be repeated frequently where 
mold is bad. The best results w^ith sulphur are ob- 
served when the temperature is above 78 degrees F., 
and it is, therefore, usually applied with success on 
clear, bright, hot days, usually in the middle of the day, 
or early morning when the leaves are partially damp 
wdth dew. In cold weather it is nearly useless, and in 
wet days the sulphur is soon washed off the leaf. The 
general explanation of its action is that the sulphur be- 
comes oxidized, with the ultimate formation of sulphur- 
ous acid, and this latter substance is credited with the 
destroying effect upon the mold. Sulphurous acid, 
however, in exceedingly minute quantities, has a del- 
eterious influence upon the hop leaf itself. Some ex- 
periments have indicated the formation of sulphureted 
hydrogen. The fact that sulphur works most benefi- 
cially on hot days, and also that the odor of a sulphured 
garden is not like that of either sulphur dioxide or 
sulphureted hydrogen, but resembles that of roll-brim- 
stone itself, suggests that sulphur vapor may be the 
active agent. The possibility that the action is a me- 
chanical one must also be borne in mind. Some author- 
ities state almost any fine powder will do, that road- 
scrapings, brick-dust, chalk, and ordinary flour work 
as well as sulphur. 



154 THE HOP. 

5. Under the assumption that sulphur has some 
specific action upon the fungus, various sokible com- 
pounds containing the ingredient are employed, chiefly 
the sulphides of sodium, calcium, and potassium 
("liver of sulphur"). These substances are, undoubt- 
edly, of considerable use in checking and destroying 
molds of all kinds. They are readily soluble in water, 
and are generally applied in the ordinary washes of 
soft soap and quassia at the rate of i J or two pounds per 
100 gallons of wash. A wash of this description, fol- 
lowed by an application of powdered sulphur, is per- 
haps the most effective and safe means known at present 
for an attack of mold. The alkaline sulphides in solution 
do not keep well, unless air is excluded from the ves- 
sels in which they are kept. Practically all mold 
washes have, as a basis, one or more of the above sul- 
phides in conjunction with substances like glycerine, 
which tend to keep the wash upon the leaf till if has 
done its work, and whi^h also prevent too rapid oxi- 
dation of the active ingredient. Although the prepara- 
tion of washes is not difficult, a certain amount of 
chemical and botanical knowledge is essential to avoid 
damaging the plants, and until this is obtained it is 
perhaps the wisest plan to obtain chemicals or 
washes prepared ready for use from experienced 
manufacturers. 

Many other substances, notably preparations of 
copper (Bordeaux mixture, "Fostite,'* talc and finely 
powdered copper sulphate), have a more certain effect 
in destroying mold, but the application to hops is 
scarcely feasible on account of their somewhat poison- 
ous properties. 

There are various definite chemical and physical 
difl^ercnces between the cells and cell-walls of the hop 
leaf and the substance of ''mold" fungus, and it should 
be possible to construct a wash or fungicide dependent 
upon these dififerences. This, however, remains to be 



PESTS OF THE HOP CROP. 155 

accomplished, but until it is effected, washes and appli- 
cations of powders will be uncertain in their action. 

To the following may be added Whitehead's sum- 
mary: The action of sulphur is materially influenced 
by conditions of weather. It is more powerful in heat, 
when volatilization takes place, and appears to be in- 
operative' in dull, cold seasons. It should always be 
put on the plants in sunny, still weather, if possible, 
and as soon as they have got well over the poles. 
Another sulphuring should be given in about three 
weeks, and a third later on, especially if there are any 
traces of mildew upon the "burr." Should the fungus 
attack the cones when developing or when they are 
out, sulphur must be used again, though, if possible, 
this shoiild be avoided, as brewers object sometimes 
to hops that have been sulphured when fully out. The 
quantity of sulphur applied for mildew varies from 40 
to 60 pounds per acre, according to its lightness and 
quality. In France, very small quantities are put on 
at a time, with hand bellows, or soufflets. Sulphate of 
copper solutions have been tried by a few hop planters 
for mildew, but as yet no definite conclusions have 
been reached. 

A hop blight more or less common in America, but not 
injurious is Ci/UHdrosporiiini humuli, E & E. A prominent 
leaf spot on the hop is rhijUosticta hum nil, S. & S. Halstead 
has found an anthracnose of the genus ColrtotrivJiinn, which 
causes blotches in the leaves, that turn white and fall away, 
leaving the foliage full of holes. In Oregon, the hop root 
bruised is apt to develop a fungus growth called "black 
knot." If cut off promptly it does no material damage, but 
if allowed to grow will cause the root to die in a couple of 
years. 

OTHER PESTS 

Late frosts in spring may be partly guarded against 
by hilling up the young vines. Early frosts in fall may 
be mitigated by spraying with cold water, or by thick 
clouds of smoke from bonfires when frost threatens. 

Hail, wind and flood often do much damage. If 



156 



THE HOP. 




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PESTS OF THE HOP CROP. 157 

the vines are promptly trained up again, a surprising 
amount of the crop may be saved. There is a tempta- 
tion to abandon a yard that is badly down, especially 
if the disaster occurs quite late in the season, but unless 
prices are very low, such a condition will often amply 
repay an efiort to set it right. 

Wind has a baneful effect upon hop plants when 
the l)urr is forming, and afterwards in all stages of the 
growth of the cones. It hinders their full development, 
and when they are getting ripe the heavy gales wdiich 
often come towards the end of August make them 
brown by bruising them. In England, says White- 
head, many kinds of screens, or "lews," are adopted to 
lessen the force of the wind; some natural, as quick 
hedges, in parts of Kent, which grow as high as 20 to 
25 feet in some districts, and rows of Lombardy and 
other kinds of poplar. Others are made of high poles 
set closely together, or of hop plants put as near to each 
other as possible, and trained up poles pitched close 
together around the outsides of the hop yard. Light 
cloth of a coarse mesh, made of cocoanut fil)er, is 
stretched about twelve feet wide at about eight feet 
from the ground upon wires fixed to permanent poles, 
in those parts of the hop ground exposed to the pre- 
vailing wind. Screening in this way is expensive, but 
it is now adopted by most of the large Kentish 
planters. 

Scorching is caused by the rays of a burning hot 
sun striking the plant when the air is perfectly calm or 
when there is not sufficient moisture in the ground to 
counterbalance evaporation through the leaves. The 
effects of scorching may be overcome by watering the 
plants morning and evening. The disease usually 
occurs when the hop is ripening. If after three or four 
days' watering it docs not disappear, it is better to pick 
the cones at once rather than run the risk of losing 
the entire crop. It may be that scorching of hops in 



158 THE HOP. 

California or any hot climate might be avoided 
by partly shading the crop, according to the system 
in vogue in Florida for raising pineapples or cigar leaf 
tobacco of fancy quality, while the same method is 
being used in Florida to insure the orange crop 
against frost. These sheds (Fig. 79) might be modified 
so far as to be applicable to a solidly built trellis system, 
but it is doubtful if there is any practical virtue in the 
idea. Where shed culture of tobacco or pineapples is 
practiced, posts 3x3 inches are set in the soil 9x14 feet 
apart and 7 feet high. Stringers 1x8 are attached to 
the top of these posts the 14-foot way. These support 
the cover of the shed and should be braced at each post. 
The cover is made of 1x3 inch pine boards iS feet long, 
laid flat and nailed to the stringers, leaving between 
these boards a 3-inch space. 




FIG. 80. STEPLADDER. 



CHAPTER XI 

HARVESTING THE CROP 




HE time between spraying and 
harvesting is fully occupied 
in getting up wood for the 
dry kiln, hunting hop pick- 
ers and repairing hop kilns, 
boxes and hop sacks, get- 
ting supplies of hop cloth 
and sulphur, etc. Every- 
thing must be in readiness, 
so that the work of picking 
may go forward without in- 
terruption. Examine stoves and flues, and see that 
they are in order and clean. Have the pump or water 
supply near the hop kiln in good order. See that the 
bunk houses for pickers and sleeping quarters or tent 
rooms are clean, neat and orderly for their comfort; you 
lose nothing by this little attention to the comfort of 
your pickers. Provide a large trough with a stream 
of water going through it for washing and cleansing 
purposes for the help, and make suitable sanitary ar- 
rangements, not forgetting that children often have 
to go picking with their parents. Supply wagons, with 
meat, bread, groceries, etc., should visit the yards daily 
for the convenience of the pickers. 

Get out the hop boxes, see that the handles are all 
right and that they are properly numbered, so that you 
can tell who picked the hops in any box. Have your 
hop tickets printed and ready for the pickers, and if 
you don't intend them to pass for credit outside the 

159 



IGO 



THE HOP. 



yard or to truck peddlers, have it so stated thereon. 
State the value of the ticket upon it, and have the same 
signed so that you may know your own tickets. Give 
all small details your attention before you commence 
picking, and arrange for your dryer, fireman, yard 
boss, pole puller, teamster and carrier. Have your 
wagon fixed up with hop rack — a frame level in sur- 
face, extending three feet over the reach and covered 
with boards, to carry about nine boxes of hops. Have 
your thermometers hung on a cord with pulley under 




FIG. 81. SCENE IN A KENTISH HOP YARD. 

the hop floor ceiling, and two lanterns with reflectors 
all clean and oiled ready for night work, placed out- 
side, with a glass to show inside the ground floor. 
Sweep out your floors thoroughly, rake over the dirt 
floor of your stove room, and put your sulphur pan on 
a stand in the center of your stove room. Insure your 
kiln and hops in a good, reliable company for 30 days, 
and don't be caught by a fire, leaving you minus the 
crop and money. 



HARVESTING THE CROP. 



101 



The date of picking depends upon the time of ma- 
turity. In Washington and Oregon, the harvest 
usually begins between September i and lo; in Cali- 
fornia, it is some days earlier; in New York, picking 
begins between August 22 and September i ; in Eng- 
land, about the same time, and in Europe, from August 
15 to 25. Abroad, the harvest usually lasts through 
three weeks, as more care is taken there to have 




i^--*^V 






■u 



FIG. 



INDIAN pickers' LODGES, CALIFORNIA. 



early, medium and late varieties to thus extend the 
harvest. In America, the bulk of the harvest is over 
in 12 to 15 days, but owing to very early or very back- 
ward vards, hop picking may cover over a month. 

Hops are ripe and ready for picking when the 
seed becomes hard cud the point of the cone closes up 
and the hop feels hard and solid when grasped in the 
hand and makes a rustling sound when touched. The 
hop is known to be ripe bv the following signs: "Dur- 
11 



162 THE HOP. 

ing their development, the leaves turn from pale green 
to dark green, and assume a peculiar tint, indicating a 
less active circulation. The odor of the cones, pre- 
viously herbaceous, becomes distinctly aromatic, and 
in some districts this odor is so strong as to inconven- 
ience persons passing in the neighborhood of the hop 
yard. The umbels, or cones, change from pale green 
to a bright yellow and green color. They are closed 
and the green scales alternate with the yellow ones. If 
the scales are stripped off and rubbed between the 
hands, they impart a sticky sensation, but without any 
trace of moisture. The cones now possess considerable 
elasticity, as may be easily tested by the hands, and 
the extremities of the scales become brittle." Later 
the scales turn a deep red color, and the aromatic odor 
is still further accentuated, but the lupulin adheres less 
firmly and the quality of the scales deteriorates. The 
hop is then over-mature. But hops "go of¥" so fast 
that they often have to be picked before showing the 
signs of maturity, while if any light colored hops are 
desired, picking begins before they are ripe, "though 
this entails a loss of weight and brewing powers." 

It is therefore of utmost importance that the crop 
should be picked at the precise moment of maturity. 
If picked before they are perfectly ripe, the cones pos- 
sess a beautiful green color, but lose more weight in 
drying than if picked at maturity; they keep badly and 
contain less lupulin, and the lupulin is less adherent. 
A large proportion of lupulin thus disappears during 
the different processes of picking and packing, and 
finally the grower has to submit to a reduction in price, 
corresponding to the loss in weight and quality, on 
hops picked too early. If picked too late, the cones 
lose their beautiful yellow-green color, so much 
esteemed by brewers. 

In picking, the cones should not be detached in 
bunches, but two or three at most may be gathered 



HARVESTING THE CROP. 



1g;3 



together. The stalks, peduncles, may be cut with scis- 
sors, knives, or with finger nails, but care must be taken 
that the cut is clean. The stalk, or peduncle, left on 
the cone should be as short as possible to avoid an ex- 
cess of bitterness in the beer, but in order to keep the 
cone intact and to prevent any loss, the stalk may be 
from a quarter to half an inch long. Not a single leaf 
should be mixed with the cones. Cones cut too long 
or mixed with leaves are inferior, and notwithstanding 
the slightly increased weight, the market value is con- 
siderably reduced. The increased weight due to the 
presence of long stalks and leaves cannot exceed lo 
per cent, of the whole without rendering it unsalable. 




FIG. 83. HOP BIN FRAME, NEW YORK. 

while the corresponding depreciation would exceed 
25 per cent, on the price obtained if the crop had been 
properly picked. In this matter of picking clean, the 
utmost care must be insisted upon in America as it 
is in Germany and Kent. Picking into baskets holding 
three to seven bushels is preferred by some, to large 
boxes holding 20 bushels. 

PICKERS AND PRICES 

Indians, Japanese and Chinese, also whites, pick 
hops on the Pacific coast. In New York, pickers come 
largely from the villages and cities, as not enough help 
is available in the rural districts. The same is true in 
England, wnere 60,000 pickers come into the hop coun- 



1G4 



THE HOP. 



try from London. In Germany, the small yards and 
large families make pickers less of a problem. All 
ages and both sexes are everywhere employed, so that 
besides providing accommodations for them to be com- 
fortable, due regard for the moralities of life should 
also be provided for. The absence of all restrictions, 
the indiscriminate huddling together of the sexes, the 
character of the work and the freedom that follows 
the day's tasks, all combine to tempt toward drink and 
cohabitation. Scandalous abuses have thus occurred 
in America, which make it increasingly difficult to get 
good help, and bring into the country at every harvest 
a body of people who care more for corrupt license 




FICJ. 84. PICKING BIN, NEW YORK. 

than for the recreation or money afforded 1)y hop pick- 
ing. Sanitary and police authorities watch these mat- 
ters closely in England. In New^ York, church mis- 
sions work among the pickers commonly. If hop 
planters would co-operate with the best men and 
women among the pickers, an esprit dc corps could be 
created that w^ould insure against most of the possible 
evils referred to and aid in expediting the harvest. 

RULES FOR PICKING AND PICKERS 

In order that the harvest may 1)e promptly and 
properly completed, it is necessary in handling large 
numbers of mixed help to have certain well-defined 
rules. These vary somewhat in different sections, but 
the most thorough and l^usincsslike are those used by 



HARVESTING THE CROP. 165 

the Pleasanton Hop Company in handling ils 300-acre 
yard in CaHfornia, as follows: 

NOTICE TO HOP PICKERS 

YOU ARE ENGAGED UNDER THE CONDITIONS NAMED BELOW 

1. We pay — per 100 lbs. to pickers who work 
throughout the harvest, from the time they begin to work. 

2. All pickers must weigh in twice a day. The morning 
picking will be credited to the pickers' accounts, subject to 
these rules, the accounts to be adjusted at the end of har- 
vest. Each afternoon's picking will be paid for with a nego- 
tiable check. 

3. Pickers quitting before the end of harvest will lose 
all their credits for mornings' pickings. 

4. When hops are improperly picked, the picker will 
receive only one- half rate for the weighing in which such 
picking is found, and will be notified as promptly as pos- 
sible. 

5. When hops are found heated or discolored from long 
or heavy packing, the full amount due for picking such lots 
will be deducted from the picker's account. [This because 
the hops are thrown away] 

6. Pickers who are discharged for failing to do the work 
as required, will be paid only oi.e-half of their credits. 

7. Hops must be picked clean from vines and free from 
leaves and stems, and sacks must not contain any foreign 
matter. 

8. Pickers must, with use of pole knives, themselves get 
down all portions of vines left clinging to the wires, and 
pick same before going to next vine. [The wire trellis sys- 
tem is used.] 

9. Vines m.ust not be pulled at the roots and must not 03 
cut at the bottom. 

10. Hops must not be packed tight in baskets or sacks. 
Pickers must not get on the hops in baskets or sacks or sit 
on same. 

11. Hops must not be dragged on the ground on the 
vines or in sacks. 

12. No picking to be done before daylight or after dusk. 
Picking hours to be the same for all and limited by the 
Pleasanton Hop Company as the curing process necessitates. 
No one allowed in the hop field outside of picking hours. 

13. Pickers must bring their hops to scales in sacks 
weighing not over 80 lbs., get their weights and load them 
on wagons. 

14. Each picker will be given a number which must 
always be shown, in plain view, for convenience of man- 
aging work in field. Numbers must be exhibited at scales, 



106 



THE HOP. 



and to get sacks, and same must be surrendered at the office 
at final settlement. 

15. All picking will be credited to the "number'" pre- 
sented with the hops at weighing. All empty sacks will be 
charged to the "number" presented when sacks are taken 
by pickers. The sacks brought to scales at weighing will 
be credited to the accompanying "number" and the picker 
will be charged 25 cents for each sack not returned. 

16. Pickers getting baskets will be charged 25 cents for 
each one taken and credited with the same amount on re- 
turning basket before settlement. 

17. The company does not furnish tents nor does it 
board the pickers. 

HOP PICKING CHECK 

Good For Amount Indicated if Presented Before October 15 IL 

<^^SA/V^ N EGOTIAB LE. 

i^HOPCO/A* ^^*^ Check is issued for less 
♦ riinirriinnc * than one dollar, and is not 
^ tnulLLHUrb ^" good if altered in any man- 
^ U.S.A. >^ ner - Carbon Duplicate kept 
^CouNl'^^ ^y t^® Company governs 

cM 9006 G^^^""^"^- 




Picker No 



Weleht 



^Vl/(»<>.../gc. 



Amount 



S.A.1N[TL ON I-iOF^ C:0' 



FIG. 85. 

18. No camping in hops. 

19. No teams tied or fed on the hop l.eld. 

20. No smoking while picking or near others at work. 

PICKERS, ATTENTION 

As checks are cashed for exact amount indicated, pick- 
ers sliould see that trades people give them the full benefit 
thereof, either entire value of checks or make change to 
the exact cent. 

weighers' instructions 

1. Weighers are also "field bosses," and as such fore- 
men have full charge of their respective sections, they must 
see that all work is properly done and the picking rules ad- 
hered to. 

2. To properly regulate the "give and take" of half 
pounds, will take the one-half pounds on morning's picking. 



HARVESTING THE CROP. 



167 



and allow ene-half pounds in afternoon's weighing. Weights 
must be accurate. 

3. Non-negotiable, non-transferable memorandum 
weight credit slips (subject to the picking rules and all 
charges against the party to whom issued) will be given for 
morning's picking. 

4. Negotiable checks are to be issued for the afternoon's 
picking, but no single check is to exceed 99 cents. 

5. Where the afternoon weight of any picker calls for 
payment of more than 99 cents, then several checks are to 
be made out; where possible, for even amounts, making 
divisions by 100, 75, 50 or 25 lbs. 

6. No checks are to be issued for less than 10 cents. 

PIGK&RS WEIGHT MEMORflNDUitt 

Retain This Ticket, it Must be Surrendered at Adjustmen* 

^ ^SAyV^v N ot Transferabl e. 

i^HOPCO.^ This Slip has No Negotiable 

* runirrunnc * VaSue; it is simply intended 

^ CnUILLliLlrJ f as a weight credit tally, and 

^ U.S.A. <^ i^ subject to the Company's 

^CounTS^^ Rules and all charges against 

Bthe party to whom issued. 





E .A. es .A. isi ro isi 

FIG. 86. 

7. Weighers can hold checks for those pickers who do 
not wish to take them at the scales. These must be put in 
individual marked envelopes left at owner's risk in the office 
safe. 

8. Issue no checks that show alterations of any kind. 
If mistakes are made in writing, mark "VOID" across detail 
line and turn in cancelled originals with duplicates. 

9. Weighers will distribute sacks, charging same to 
pickers, and credit same when returned, noting against the 
scratched number^ the letters "A" or "P," to indicate 
whether same were returned with morning or afternoon 
picking (and date of return when not brought in on the 
same day). 

10. Review "sack charges'" daily, to make sure that 
pickers are not getting more sacks than they absolutely 
need. 



168 THE HOP. 

11. Tag sacks with picker's number before weighing 
hops. 

12. Report to office all charges for baskets and sacks not 
returned. 

13. Report cause of quitting of such pickers who stop 
work or are discharged. 

14. Weighers must see that all hops picked in the fore- 
noon are "weighed in" by noon. Likewise, all afternoon 
pickings must be taken to scales when work is stopped. No 
hops to remain in baskets or sacks during the lunch hour 
or over night. 

15. Arrange "carbon duplicates" according to picker's 
number, and file each morning's and afternoon's tickets iii 
distinct bunches for reference. 

The above rules at first reading may seem severe, 

but a thorough system of direction in the field and an 

occasional fine reported from the kilns when the hops 

are dumped against the "number" of a carelessly 

picked sack are a salutary lesson to an entire section 



FIG. 87. "set" for four pickers. 

and therefore few fines are necessary. Rule 3 may 
seem ardtious, but as employment lists are closed when 
the company has a proper complement of pickers, it 
must insist that those who engage remain until the en- 
tire crop is harvested. Few wish to quit and the rule is 
of course not enforced where there is a good cause 
for quitting, in which event, the picker is paid in full. 
So, too. Rule 6 is dependent upon the circumstances 
of discharge. 

The price for picking agreed upon by the growers 
is generally based upon the prospective value of the 
crop. But these agreements do not always hold good, 
as there is apt to be a strife to get pickers after harvest 
commences, as but few growers get all the pickers they 
have engaged and there is always some one short of 



HARVESTING THE CROP. 



169 



pickers, and for the sake of getting their crop har- 
vested quickly they will offer an advance above their 
neigh]:)or. The other growers will be compelled to 
meet this advance or lose a part of their pickers. To 
such an extent has this been carried on that in Wash- 




FIG. 



WEIGHING HOPS (California). 



ington during 1896-7 many growers paid as much 
and in many cases more for picking than the crop 
brought them when sold. This trouble prevails more 
or less everywhere. Many hop yards are managed by 
renters, who harvest their crops upon money borrowed 



i;0 THE HOP. 

from the banks upon the owner's indorsement, and 
therefore if hops are worth only a small margin above 
the cost of harvesting, renters, seeing th^y may be 
unable to make anything, and having nothing to lose, 
do not care how much the harvesting costs. 

In America, from 70 cents to $1.25 per 100 pounds 
of green hops has been the range of late years, mostly 
80 cents to $1, but v$i.25 may be paid when hop values 
are up and pickers scarce. For the '97 crop, the 
Pleasanton Company paid 80 cents the first week, 90 
cents the second, and $1 the third week, against 70, 
80 and 90 cents the previous season, whereas $i 
straight may be paid in a prosperous season. In Eng- 
land, pickers are paid 2^ cents to 6 cents per bushel, 
averaging4cents; as a bushel weighs about five pounds, 
these prices are equivalent to from 50 cents to $1.20 per 
100 pounds, or an average of 80 cents. In Germany, 
cost of picking is still less, and in many cases quite 
nominal. 

An average picker will pick from 80 to 125 pounds 
of hops per day — 6 a. m. to 6 p. m., — fast ones picking 
as high as 200 pounds under favorable conditions, but 
rapidity is apt to be at the expense of cleanliness. A 
loo-pound box of green hops will shrink to about 25 
pounds of cured hops. Careful data from Pleasanton 
result in this statement: "As the hops grow riper, 
pickers cannot get such good results, whereas the more 
mature hops lose less weight on the kilns and there- 
fore better pay is possible. In other words, the hops 
grow lighter in weight on the vines and dry out less 
on the kilns as the season advances, and while it re- 
quires about 3I pounds of green hops at the earlier 
stages of picking, hardly 3^ pounds are necessary 
toward the close of harvest to make one pound of 
dried hops, or an average of about 3J pounds, when the 
crop is properly handled. This at the normal price of 
$1 per 100 pounds for green hops would make the pick- 



HARVESTING THE CROP. 



171 



ing alone of one pound of^ dried hops represent 3^ 
cents." 

In handling a large harvest, as at Pleasanton, the 
help are divided off into gangs or sections of 200 pick- 
ers each (in '97 eight such gangs were needed, "A" to 




FIG. 89. ELEVATING HOPS TO KILN. 

"H" inclusive), which are in charge of the ''weigher" 
and an assistant known as the "field boss." The 
weigher, as his title implies, weighs the hops, which 
are brought to the scales by pickers, and issues checks 



172 THE HOP. 

(Figs. 85 and 86). He also distributes baskets and 
sacks and makes all reports to the office. He is the 
real "field boss." His assistant, the "acting field boss," 
circulates among the pickers to direct their work and 
see that the rules are strictly observed. On a smaller 
scale, the same general practice is followed elsewhere. 

When the picker's box is full it is delivered to the 
weighman, or measurer, who gives the picker a check 
for it and retains the duplicate stub for the book- 
keeper, who compares same with the record of receipts 
at the kiln. In small yards, tab is kept in a book by 
the measurer. The best system to avoid all possibility 
of error is to have a paying machine like a cash regis- 
ter. The tickets are issued from automatic triplicating 
machines, the printed form (Fig. 86) going to pickers, 
the duplicate being retained by weigher for reference, 
while a secret triplicate roll remains locked in the ma- 
chine, which can be opened only in the office and from 
which postings are made to individual accounts and 
from which also daily recapitulations are made on add- 
ing machines. 

By the high trellis system (Fig. 48), the pickers cut 
the strings and vines off from the wires 18 feet above 
ground by means of a knife on a long pole; then 
pick off the hops from the reclining vines, which can 
be readily handled. Sometimes in England and Ger- 
many, the hop vine is taken down and stretched on 
hooks in the posts only five feet above ground. On the 
short pole system, cut the vine just below the hops and 
in the string above, slide the bearing vine down the 
poles, then pick. On the long-pole system, the pole- 
puller will cut the vine two to five feet above ground, 
and draw the pole gently, laying it on a crotch (Fig. 83) 
for the picker — not over the box, as the leaves would 
drop in fast. The simplest means of taking out a pole 
is to pass a chain or rope around it close to the ground, 
through which a lever is passed, and with a block of 



HARVESTING THE CROP. 173 

wood as a fulcrum the lever is thrust deeper as the pole 
is raised. 

Numerous efforts have been made to perfect a 
hop-picking machine. It is only a question of time be- 
fore some device of the kmd will become practical, if, 
indeed, one or two machines are not already worthy of 
general introduction. They will doubtless be so altered 
and improved, however, that it hardly seems expedient 
to devote more space to them here. 

When the harvest is completed, the poles should 
be carefully piled or stacked, all vines and strings col- 
lected and burned to destroy eggs of insects or fungi 
(or the vines may be used as stated on Pages 21 and 
']']), and the plants dunged with stable manure if the 
land is at all poor. Many are careful not to cut the 
vines at the bottom, where the trellis system is used, 
but let them remain until killed by frost, in order to 
mature the root, when the vines are cut and gathered. 
Sometimes the vines are cut into short pieces and 
plowed under. 




FIG. 90. TENT TRAINING. 



lU 



THE HOP. 




FIG. 91. IMPROVED ENGLISH OAST. 

This represents the most modern construction and all the latest improvements 
in vogue in England. Erected for Mr. W. Lillvwhite, Winoheap Farm, Can- 
terbury, Kent. From a photograph taken for this book by R. M. Elvy. 



k 


^^ 


^^.=J1-Ljccv^ 



CHAPTER XII 

KILNS FOR CURING HOPS 

N Germany, the growers 
merely air-dry or sun-dry 
their hops. This is partly 
because the average grower 
has too small a hop yard to 
warrant a kiln, and also be- 
cause the German trade pre- 
fers the present system. In 
Germany, if a specially fitted 
drying room has been set 
apart for the purpose, the 
large baskets or sacks are at once carried there and emp- 
tied, but if no such room is available, the hops are 
deposited upon screens exposed to the sun but shel- 
tered from the wind, and in the evening, they are 
removed to an airy barn and at once spread on the 
floor. When hops are dried by this latter method, the 
walls and roof should be thoroughly cleaned and dusted 
beforehand, and the floor well scrubbed with soap and 
water, so that all dirt, vermin and bad smells are 
removed. Drying is done by aeration, and dust must 
be carefully excluded. It cannot be urged too forcibly 
tliat lofts or barns in which hops are dried must be 
perfectly clean and sweet. In any case, the large 
baskets, filled or not, must be emptied twice during the 
day, for if the hops are left closely packed logether for 
more than six hours, fermentation sets in and the qual- 
ity deteriorates. 

It is claimed that this "natural cure" preserves far 
more of the essential oils and other brewing principles 

175 



176 



THE HOP 



-0 



/ 1 




r= 


^^ ^^ 




^r=: 


f \ 

^«-^ — \ 


1 ' 


1 




HI 


i: 


1 


\ /^ 


1 ? 1 


|t=1ref 


"" 


ms 








— 


X. 1 


p^l 


, \-r\ n 



A B 

FIG. 92. SECTION OF GROUP OF KILNS AND COOLING ROOM. 







FIG. 93. GROUND FLOOR OF KILNS AND COOLING ROOM. 



KILNS FOR CURING HOPS. 177 

than is possible by the artificial hot-air cure in Eng- 
land and America, and that this accounts in part for 
the peculiarities of Spalt hops that command such 
extraordinary prices. The dealers buy the hops loose 
from the grower, sack them, carefully assort the hops, 
putting all of one color and strength together before 
bleaching them with sulphur; single firms thus handle 
and bleach 20,000 bales or more. Spalt hops are never 
bleached. 

In England and America, curing is done in spe- 
cially constructed houses, in which temperature, mois- 
ture and sulphur fumes can be regulated to a nicety. 
The construction of these curing houses will be first 
described. 

ENGLISH OAST HOUSES 

are well and briefly described by Whitehead: 

"The kilns for drying hops are of simple construc- 
tion, being occasionally square, but more frequently 
round, chambers, from 16 to 20 feet in diameter, with 
stoves or fireplaces in them, and from 14 to 18 feet 
high; at this height a floor of narrow joists, or oast 
laths, an inch and a-half or so apart, is laid over the 
chamber. At this point the sharply sloping roof com- 
mences, being carried up to an apex with a circular 
aperture of from two to three feet, upon which a cowl 
is fixed. The roof is from 20 to 26 feet high. A sec- 
tion of a kiln is given in Fig. 92, B, in which the rela- 
tive height of the various parts is indicated. The kiln, 
or chamber, is in some cases merely a room with open 
iron stoves in it, as shown in the tw^o lower kilns of the 
ground plan D in Fig. 93 and in Fig. 92 B, 
having holes at intervals in the walls, just above 
the ground level to allow the admission of cold 
drafts to drive up the hot air through the 
hops above. Over the open stoves, iron plates 
are hung, five or six feet from the floor, to break 



178 



THE HOP. 



and distribute the volume of heat from the stoves. The 
cold air currents can be regulated by shutters over the 
draft holes. It is better that the stoves in the 
chambers should be set in brickwork, forming an inner 
circle (Fig. 92, A, and the two upper kilns in Fig. 93), 
so that the hot air is more concentrated, while 
the cold drafts do not mingle with it directly and 
diminish its heat. Upon the floor of joists or oast laths 




FIG. 94. ELEVATION OF THE COMMON HOP KILN. 

A, Stove room, with stone, brick or jtlasterpfl walls, but no floor; B, rtryinsr room; 
C, store room, wliich has a w iiulow in the end, not shown, with tight shutters; 
A\ ventilator; ^, i>latforni from wnich to )iass ui> the hajjs of jjieen hojis; 
G, door into dryintr looiii ; //, |)i|>e, or smoke stark from stove, which is to he 
taken down when not in nsc; y, air holes; /stairs lo i>latform. The usual 
dimen-ions are marke<l on the diagram, hut these may he altered to suit the 
size of the yard. 

horsehair cloth is nailed to prevent the hop dust from 
falling through, and to keep the hops from burning 
(Fig. 92, A)." 

The author begs to remark that such ''oast 
houses" are regarded by progressive American hop 
growers as fifty years behind the times and afford few, 
if any, tests of value, except of how not to do it. 



KILNS FOR CUEIKG HOPS. 



179 



HOP KILNS IN NEW YORK STATE 

are of various kinds. Some are very old, but those 
recently built embody many of the improvements seen 
in the new curing houses on the Pacific coast. A 
familiar New York style is shown in Figs. 94, 95, 96, 
97 and 98. The house is usually divided into four 
rooms. The stove room, where fire is made, should be 




feet is 
If the 



FIG. 95. GROUND PLAN OF HOP KILN. 

not less than 14 feet high, and 16 or 18 
better, with stone or brick walls, and no floor, 
walls are of wood, they must be plastered to the top of 
the room. At the bottom of the walls there 
should be six air holes, one bv three feet, 




FIG. 90. SECOND FLOOR OF HOP KILN, 

with doors to close them tight when neces- 
sary; and if the kiln is very large, there must be 
more than six. The stoves, usually two, are large 
enough to take in three-foot wood, with grate bars at 
the bottom, and very large doors; the pipes are carried 
once or twice across the room, as near the level of the 
top of the stove as possible, and then go into a chimney 



180 



THE HOP. 



on the outside of the building. The pipe is often run 
several feet from the building, and turned up like the 
smokestack of a steam boiler, to make a good draft. 

There is a door from the stove room into the bal- 
ing room, with a light of glass, so that the man who 
attends the drying may see the state of the fires without 




FIG. 97. DRAFT HOP KILN. 
The figures give the diniensions, and the letters indicate the same parts as in 

Fig 94. 

going in; a thermometer on the inside shows the 
degree of heat at a glance. The drying room is over 
the stove room. Usually there are joists laid across 
the top of the stove room, and wooden slats, one inch 
by two, are laid on them on edge, two and a half inches 
apart. On this there is laid a carpet, usually made of 



KILNS FUR CURING HOPS. 181 

flax or hemp, with small threads, twisted hard and 
woven loosely, so that the spaces between them are 
about one-sixteenth of an inch or more, allowing air 
to pass through freely. It should never be of cotton. 
The roof should be carried up very high, so as to have 
the ventilator as high as possible, and make a better 
draft to the kiln. This is made with a cowl, which 
turns by the wind, or a slate ventilator is used, arranged 
so as to keep out the rain, while the air can pass up 
freely. The store room is next the drying room, but 
the floor is from three to eight feet lower, so as to 
make plenty of room to store hops in bulk until they 
are ready to press. It should have but one window, 
which should have a shutter to keep the room dark 
while the hops are in it. They will turn brown if 
exposed to light. Hav^ boards to set up, and make the 
end of the store room farthest from the drying room 
into one or two large bins, so that any damaged hops 
can be kept separate. Under the store room is the bal- 
ing room; it has a tight floor, and is used to bale the 
hops, store the hop press, together with any tools not 
in use in the yard. 

Another and more modern plan is illustrated in 
Figs. io6, 107 and 108. The size given is large enough 
for a yard of four or five acres. It should be set in a 
side-hill, if possible, otherwise much hard labor would 
always be required to get the hops up to the kiln. The 
hop house here described is 22x32 feet, with a kiln 
16x16 feet, and a walk entirely around it. The stoye- 
room is 12x22 and two and o'^e-half feet lower than 
the level of the kiln, which is 11 feet from the ground. 
The joists (j, j) over the stove room are two by seven 
inches, upon which rest the slats (s,s), one and one-half 
inches square and four inches apart. These support the 
strong linen strainer cloth, which is fastened to the 
side boards of the kiln, by small hooks. At the open- 
ings, where the hops are shoveled off, the cloth should 



182 



THE HOP. 



be nailed down with small tacks. In Fig. 127 one cor- 
ner of the kiln is shown, partly covered by joists, slats, 
and cloth. The dry room should be double-boarded 
or lathed and plastered all around to the eaves, and 
next the store room to the ridge. There should be a 
ventilator directly over the kiln. The store room 
should be boarded on the inside, next the dry room, 
and a space left for cool air to pass up, as indicated 
by the arrows in Fig. 108. This prevents the hops in 
the store room being dried continually by contact with 




FIG. 98. SECTION OF COWL TO DRAFT-KILN. 

rt. Continuation of roof; />, 3x5 joist frainert into rafters of roof; c, post, 3x3, 
framod into cowl, and movalde nixm nn iron i)in at bottom, wliich rests on 
b. Tlie cowl shuts over the termination of the roof, and projects over it 
about two inches. 

the dry room. A hole (H) is left in the floor of the 
store room, in which a bottomless bag is fixed to con- 
duct the hops into the box in pressing. 

The stove room should be double-boarded out- 
side, and double-boarded or lathed and plastered inside, 
and supplied with convenient air holes at the bottom on 
all sides, which may be opened or be closed up at pleas- 
ure. The stove is made expressly for drying hops. 
The bottom is simply a grate, so that the draft is 



KILNS FOR CURING HOPS. 



183 



directly under the fire, and consequently greater. The 
pipe (p), which should be seven inches in diameter, rises 
from the stove to the height of five or six feet from 
the ground, then passes horizontally into a drum, 
12 or 14 inches in diameter and three feet 
long, thence as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 107, ris- 
ing gradually, as seen in Fig. 108, until it reaches the 
chimney about four feet from the cloth. Such an 



ip 


1 jj 


■ 


D 
1 


^ 


1 

D 


c 



FIG. 99. GROUND PLAN OF KILN. 

A, stove room; B, stove; C, C, draft holes; Z>, Z>, coal l.iiis; E, pr- ss room. 

cirrangement of pipe keeps all the heat where it is 
needed, and, of course, saves fuel. 

The press room should be at least seven feet from 
the floor to the beam in which the screws are set. The 
beam, ten by twelve inches, may also serve as a support 
for the floor of the store room. The bed-sill is of sim- 
ilar dimensions, and connected with the beam by two 



184 



THE HOP. 



half-inch iron rods, seen in Fig. io8. In Fig. 107, B, 
is seen the bottom plank of the box, which is seventeen 
and three-quarter inches wide and six feet long, and is 
pinned to the sills. The side planks (c, Fig. 108) are 
of the same length as the bottom, and two feet wide, 
grooved near the ends to receive the end pieces. The 
length of the box inside is five feet. The top plank 
((/), one foot wide, is held in place by the ends of the 









FIG. lUO. PLAN O:^ DRYING FLOOR. 

tenons on the posts g. The cloth used for baling hops 
is about forty-four inches wide, and five yards is sufH- 
cient for a bale. 

The circular oast house is also employed, like the 
photograph (Fig. 123), and the floor plans in Fig. 99 
and 100. A circular or square wall of brick, one 
foot thick, about 20 in diameter, is carried up to 
the height of 12 feet; then joists are placed in 



KILNS FOR CCJRII^G HOPS. 185 

the wall at the height of ii feet, across which are 
placed strips two inches square, and nine inches apart. 
Over these is spread a strong cloth made of horse hair. 
Figure lOO shows a plan of the drying floor, capacity 
35 to 50 bushels. The wall is carried about two 
feet higher, and plates are placed upon it, and 
terminated by a sharp wooden roof. At the top of the 
roof should be a hole about five feet in diameter, 
around which is placed a circular plate somewhat 
larger on the outside than the hole itself. Upon this 
plate is placed a cowl, to keep out the rain and let ofif 
the vapor. It turns with the wind. On the ground 
floor is the furnace. A door connects the kiln with the 
storage room below and the chambers above, for 
receiving, cooling and packing the hops. The furnace 
is built so that the heat rises from the center. A wall 
two feet high is raised, upon which is placed an iron 
grate, three feet wide and four feet long. The wall is 
carried a few bricks higher, solid, after which it is 
raised in open work two feet higher, the bricks lapping 
over each other about two inches. The two sides and 
back end being built, the top is covered by flat tile, 
supported by iron bars, laid across. A ground plan is 
given in Fig. 99. A double kiln of this nature is 
shown in Figs, no and in. 

HOP KILNS ON THE PACIFIC COAST 

Many of these have been built since 1890, and are 
designed to do their work with the utmost perfection 
and economy of capital, labor, fuel, and maintenance. 
These objects have been sought with special care by 
the Pleasanton Hop Company, wdiose buildings em- 
body many features suggested as desirable by science 
and practice in all parts of the hop-growing world. 
This model hop-curing establishment is described in 
detail in the sketches, plans and photographs. Figs. 
T15 to 122, inclusive. This establishment now 



186 



THE HOP. 



has 12 kilns, each 30x30 feet, all connected by 
over-head trestles with the six bins in each of the 
two large cooling rooms or warehouses. The cars in 
which the hops are carried from the kilns to the cooling 
bins are 30 feet long by 12 feet wide, big enough 




525 

El] 

> 

O 



to take an entire ''flooring" at once. The cars 
have movable sides and A -shaped bottoms, so that 
the hops can slide from car to floor in any direc- 
tion wanted without being rehandled, which also 
saves breaking. Indeed, handling is avoided through- 



KILN^S FOR CUEING HOPS. 18? 

out the whole process, so as to secure the whole- 
berried or beaky hops desired by brewers. The 
hops remain undisturbed in the cooling rooms until 
ready for baling, and require about a week to cool off. 
The large power press in each cooler is so constructed 
that trampling the hops is unnecessary. 




FIG. 102. DETAILS OF KILN CONSTRUCTION. 

The principles of construction outlined are also 
applied in Oregon, where kilns are usually 24x24 
feet; also in Washington, where a few are 22x26 feet, 
rarely 30x30 feet, and a few old kilns are 16 feet square 
for 10 acres. The foundation sills (b, Fig. 102), of 6x6 
inch stuff, rest on six by six pieces (c), two and one- 
half to three feet above a stout sill (d) on the ground, 
with the space below^ the sills open to give plenty of 



188 THE HOP. 

draft to the building. The studding (a) is of two by 
six, sheathed outside with rustic boards, inside lathed 
and plastered to the eaves. The roof is a half-pitch 
hip-roof, the rafters ceiled up with matched boards to 
the ventilator, which should be five feet square on the 
inside, and 12 or 14 feet high, and boxed up to within 
three feet of the top, with swinging doors, to close at 
pleasure. 

The hop kiln floor is usually 16 feet above 
the earth, or four feet below the plates, as too large 
an air space above the hops tends to check the draft 
so necessary to carry off the moist vapor and steam. 
The floor joists are two by eight, resting upon a two by 
eight plate let into each stud one inch, and well spiked. 
Rough boards are nailed down and covered with one 
by four inch boards to make the floor. Hop-floor laths 
an inch thick and two inches wide, sized and with one 
edge rounded, are placed on the fioor about an inch 
apart (Fig. 102), upon which in due time the hop cloth 
or carpet is stretched. In the France kiln the 
cloth is stretched on wires, and is rolled ofi. by a 
shaft in the store room, so that all the hops are taken 
off in five minutes and the carpet put back ready for 
a new change without losing the heat or letting the 
lire go down. An improvement on this device is shown 
in Fig. loi. The hops are put on from a movable walk 
— a plank two and one-half feet above the carpet, sup- 
ported from the rafters by wire suspension rods — and 
when the hops are on, the plank is turned on edge. 

The iron drying stove (Fig. 104), big enough to 
take in four-foot wood, is set in brickwork, to prevent 
fire, the underside of the stove not lower than the sill. 
A 12-inch iron pipe runs up from the stove, break- 
ing into a T (a a <7, Fig. 104), the two arms gradually 
rising on supports (Fig. I03),but being kept about three 
feet from the walls, to avoid fire; when the pipes reach 
the other end of the room, they are joined by a T and 



KILNS FOR CURING HOPS. 



189 



carried into the chimney, built outside, which has a 
I2xi2-inch flue. A brick circle, i8 inches in 
diameter, is buiU in the wall, to admit pipes 
to chimney without heating wood. Various other 
methods of running the pipe are used. 

The bin or cooling room for a 1 6-foot kiln 
is about 16x20 feet. If adjoining, it is five feet 
lower than the kiln floor, with a doorway five by 
four feet, in halves, to put the hops through when 





FIG. 103, SUPPORT FOR HOT AIR PIPE. 

dried; in this case, allow one or two feet of cold air 
space between the walls. Many build the coolers at a 
distance, connecting by trestle work (Fig. 120), as at 
Pleasanton, to reduce fire risk and cheapen insurance. 
The bin should be partitioned off into several rooms, 
so that not over three or four days' drying need be 
crowded into one room, as by this means the press in 
the room below (Fig. 121) can be started sooner. 

The kiln floor is usually reached by a driving 



190 



THE HOP 



gangway for team and wagon, to a platform with a 
good shed over it, in which hops are deposited direct 
from the yard, until ready for loading the hop kiln. 
Wagons then pass down a gangway at the other 
end of the platform to the field level. Hence hop 
kilns are often built in a hollow to save as much hauling 
up a gangway as possible. A large elevator to carry 
the sacked hops from wagon to kiln floor is cheaper, 
and on some accounts better, where one has the power 
to run it. 




FIG. 104. STOVE FOR KILN, FRONT VIEW. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

CURING, COOLING AND BALING HOPS 




OR fuel, charcoal is used in 
Germany. Its fumes appear 
to have a beneficial effect on 
the hops, while its heat is 
intense, quick, and easily 
regulated. The German hop 
market will use no other fuel. 
In England, anthracite coal 
is employed, but coke is put 
on to keep the fires going, 
and some think it tends to 
impart the desired softness to hops. In America, dry 
wood is almost the only fuel in hop kilns. 

One wagon and team can keep a ten-acre yard 
supplied with boxes and remove the boxes of hops to 
the kiln platform. Two men are necessary, and these 
will assist the dryer to load the kiln when ready, as it 
requires three men to load. The dryer and a fireman 
are required to attend the stove and drying, working 
alternately in shifts of twelve hours, changing at noon 
and midnight, so that each may have sleep in the night. 

CURING THE HOPS 

Everything being in readiness, the hops are deliv- 
ered at the kiln loosely in large sacks, if picked in bas- 
kets, or in T20 bushel hop boxes. The floor cloth is 
carefully stretched — lo-j-ounce burlap or a strong 
duck is used for the carpet or kiln cloth ; 
eight-ounce cloth is too thick and causes too much of 
the lupulin to fall on the pipes. The men wear sewed 

191 



l:i".» 



THE ITOI\ 




FIG. 105. A HOP BALING KIESS. 



CURING, COOLINfi AS I) I'.WASd. 



VS. 



shoes, that no nails may tear the carpet. The sacks 
of hops are carried into the kiln and jjlaced on the floor 
near where they are to be emptied, without dra^^ing 
them across the carpet, and are emptied as lightly as 
possible, without shaking the floor, so as not to break 
the hops nor settle those already emjjtied. As fast as 
emptied, the hops should be loosened and leveled with 
a wooden barley fork. The floor can be laid to a 
depth of three to four feet, but at that de])th it will re- 
(juirc a long time to dry, and the bottom hops woukl be 







Flu. 106. ELEVATION OF HOP HOUSE, NEW YORK— See Page 181. 

scorched while the top ones would hardly be dried. It is 
best not to lay them deeper than can be dried and 
moved in twenty-four hours, and the picking should 
be stopped when enough have been secured for this 
purpose. Therefore, it is bad policy to have too many 
pickers, as they become dissatisfied if compelled to lay 
idle any portion of the day. 

Hops that have been heated in the sack while wait- 
ing to go on the kiln, will become smudged and discol- 
13 



194 



THE HOP. 



ored, and it is absolutely impossible to make a choice 
hop out of them, as nothing can be done to bring them 
back to their original state after they have once become 
heated and spoiled. There is no reason why hops 
should heat in the sack if growers would observe a 
little diligence. The heating of hops in the sacks is 
caused by either packing them in too tightly or from 
permitting the pickers to sit on them as if the sacks 
were cushioned chairs. Also avoid allowing the sacks 



ti' :■ 



■ H "''3 -,'^!'-""^J!'>!g 



O 




/ff 



i2 



I/: 



'<ol. 



J7 



Da D.g j 



t^'y 



"^ 






FIG. 107. GROUND PLAN OF HOP HOUSE SHOWN IN FIGURE 106. 

Showing the arrangement of stove and press room. >6f, stove; P. pipe; //, trap 
door in room abovt' to let down hops to | less; B, B, ))ottoni of press; b, i, keys 
to hold the sidtposts of press; o, «, railway lor moving press under the hole 
//. In this fiynre the positions of the joists y,;, and slats s, s, of the floor 
above are also shown. 

to remain on the platform too long, and when there 
see that the sacks are not piled on top of one another. 
Do not pack too many hops in a sack. 

On a deep "floor" the hops may have to be turned, 
or they may be scorched or imperfectly dried. Many 
careful hop men oppose deep floors and turning of 
hops, though practiced everywhere. The deep floor also 
requires excessiv^e heat. If the hops get "packed" they 



cuRiKG, cooli:n^g and baling. 



195 



must be stirred, using a long-pronged fork, with ends 
of tines turned up to avoid pricking the cloth. In New 
York, the floor is usually 12 to 18 irTches deep, deep- 
ening as the harvest proceeds and the hops get dryer. 
A fan blast is often used to force a current of heated 
air through deep hops, and this may prevent the need 




FIG. 108. SECTION OF HOP HOUSE SHOWN IN FIG. 106 

Showins: stove, dry, store and press rooms. S, Stove; P, pipe: C, movable sides 
of press; (/, upper plank of press; (/, f/, posts to support sides of press; b, bt 
irou rods, wliich connect tlie bed-sill with the strong beam above. 

of turning. On the Pacific coast, hops are seldom 
laid over 24 inches deep, and 20 inches are ample. 

The object in curing hops is to evaporate their 
excess of water without loss of other qualities, and in 
the least possible time. Green hops contain from 70 
to 75 per cent, of water; cured hops from 7 to 10 per 
cent. This change is usually effected in 12 hours, 
the morning pick going in at noon and the afternoon 



190 TH^ HOP. 

harvest at midniglit. As a floor four feet deep and 
1 6 feet square will contain about 45 boxes, or 
900 bushels, the green weight of 4,500 pounds 
shrinks to some 1,100 pounds. Thus, the 3,400 pounds 
of water in the hops has to be evaporated and carried 
off during the 12 hours. Hot air to evaporate the 
water, and a strong current to carry the vapor off are 
essential. Hence, the need of an abundant inlet of 
cool air into the stove or heating pipes, and of ample 
ventilation to draw off the hot vapor in such a way 
as to create a strong draft or current of heated air 
through the light and fluffy mass of hops. 

After the floor is laid, the fire should be started and 
the heat raised to the desired point in two to four 
hours. If the heat is rushed up quickly, it will cause 
the hops to pack, whereas they should be kept so light 
that the heated air will freely circulate about every hop. 
At the start, open wide the ventilators in the cowl, to let 
the steam off freely, and as long as steam is emitted, 
see that the sulphurous acid fumes permeate the air. 
When the steam is gone, or nearly so, stop the sulphur 
and close the ventilators halfway. This is in about 10 
hours, generally, on a 12-hour cure, depending on 
the condition of the hops. Finally, close the ventila- 
tors tight, to allow the top layers to be dried off. 

It is not possible to describe in words the con- 
dition hops are in when the cure is done and the floor 
ready to renew. It must be learned by actual experi- 
ence, just as the qualities and curing of cigar leaf 
tobacco can be judged only by experts. Meeker 
attempted to do this in his book, from which we quote: 

"An ideally cvired hop would show only a wilted stem, or 
core, of a purplish-green cast, being soft to the touch and 
flexible; the globules of lupulin, standing out prominently, 
bright and unchanged from that of an uncured hop. In prac- 
tice, however, most of the stems are not only wilted, but are 
dried so as to be brittle and harsh to the touch, and show 
the sharp corners, which will be readily understood by any- 
one taking a specimen between the thumb and finger and 



CURING, COOLIKG AND BALING. 197 

rubbing the hop to pieces. Because of the presence of these 
over-dried hops, we are able to turn off the flooring with a 
small percentage of fat hops, being those whose stems are 
not wilted, but show as green as when placed in the kiln. 
Floorings, with 10 per cent, of such stems, may be turned 
off, and yet keep, if otherwise well and evenly cured and 
properly handled afterward, though I should by no means 
advise leaving so large a percentage; probably not five per 
cent, of such stems are left in ordinary practice. Whatever 
there may be will have disappeared in a couple of days, and 
such stems as were green will be wilted and the moisture 
absorbed by the balance of the hops. The after-handling 
consists in forking the hops over after they have lain a few 
days and have begun to warm up, as hops in bulk will do where 
not dried thoroughly. A better plan is to cure at a lower 
temperature, which will insure a larger percentage of wilted 
stems, and less of those with sharp corners, as likewise of 
the green stems and a more even color." 

If hops are slack-dried, they will "give" when 

cooled off. If over-dried, they will fall to pieces or shell 

badly, feel harsh and the stems will be brittle. 





FIG. 109. SHOVEL AND BRUSH FOR USE IN KILN. 

This last state can be helped by putting a quart 
of salt in a pan on the stove and shutting the ventila- 
tors for a short time — a little trick that wdll soften and 
toughen the otherwise brittle hops. Even on brittle 
hops, salt must be tised with care, and never on hops 
that are all right. It causes hops to absorb moisture, 
especially in Oregon and Washington. A hop that 
absorbs moisture before being baled is liable to be 
clammy and boardy. 

When the hops are done, draw fire at once, and 
open ventilators, and allow the heat to go off; then 



198 



THE HOP. 



carefully remove the floor into the cooling room. This 
is done with a rake or box shovel (Fig. 109). 



COOLING AXD BALING 



Before removing to the cooling bin, the floor of 
hops is allowed to cool off for an hour. Where the 
box shovels (Fig. 109) are not used, hops are taken 
from the floor in wheel scoops, operated by one or two 
men, or pushed by rakes into cars (Fig. 112). The floor- 




FIG. 110. ELEVATION OF DOUBLE KILN, NEW YORK. 

cloth is carefully swept with a peculiar broom (Fig. 
109), to save all the lupulin and dust, and as a guard 
against danger of fire. If a floor comes off red, discol- 
ored, or with traces of mold, keep such hops separate; 
don't mix, or you will reduce the price of all the hops. 
Strive by all means to keep qualities separate, if more 
than one, so that the buyer gets his goods as he bought 
them, and thus insure a reputation for yourself. 



CURII^G, COOLING AND BALING. 



199 



English and German practice is to pack the hops, 
while still warm, into sacks about six by three feet, con- 
taining about 125 pounds and called "pockets." These 
bales are usually sent to market at once, and if not 
promptly sold to the brew^er (who puts them into cold 
storage) are stored in large, cool, airy warehouses, so 
stocked as to permit a free circulation of air about each 
bale; otherwise, the hops may become crusted and 
damp. Prompt packing while w^arm prevents the 
escape of the volatile sulphurous acid gas, the reten- 
tion of which in the bales adds to, or rather preserves, 
the brewing qualities. This gas is exceedingly vola- 
tile, and the more it escapes before hops are packed. 



H 



n 




FIG. 111. GROUND PLAN OF DOUBLE KILN SHOWN IN FIG. 110. 

the less will be its beneficial efifect. Kammerer showed 
in his tests at Nuremberg that sulphured hops left open 
and unbaled for four weeks, steadily lost their binoxide 
of sulphur, until after four weeks they contained only 
25 per cent, as much as when first ofY the cloth. 
Another argument for packing while still hot, is that 
the hops contain less water than in any other period, 
and if allowed to cool, will rapidly absorb water, thus 
partly counteracting the object of the cure. Scientific 
experiments on all these points would be highly 
interesting. 

In America, however, thorough cooling is the 
rule, partly because when baled cold the hops are 



200 



THE HOP. 



alleged to keep much better during the often long 
interim before they reach market. In some cases, they 
He in the bin twenty-four hours, and are then put into 
another store room for ten days to sweat. The 
dried hops remain in the bin until they commence to 
toughen or ''come in case," which takes from three to 




FIG. 112. CAR AT KILN TO RECEIVE HOPS (Pleasanton). 

A, Upwarrt slidins: doors of kilns, through which hoi)S are pushed fr< m floor; 
i}, wooden apron down wliich hops slide (to juevent their breaking), with 
the car, t^ ready to receive the dried hops to be carried to the coolers. 

seven days, depending upon the temperature and den- 
sity of the atmosphere. But if allowed to lie too long, 
they again become very brittle and break badly in 
pressing; if left until they again show moisture, they 
pack in the press hard and vSiolid, and samples taken 



CURING, COOLING AND BALING. 



•>wl 



from them arc what dealers call boardy and which they 
claim are slack-dried. If hops are to be held by the 
grower for some months, there is considerable testi- 
mony to show that they can be kept with less injury 
in bulk than in bales. Meeker inquired particularly into 
this point, and still believes it is fully demonstrated. 
Of course the warehouse must be kept cool and very 
dry, so the hops in bulk will neither heat nor absorb 
moisture. 

Meeker covers another important point as follows: 
"One objection to the practice of b^Hng immediately 




FIG. 113. THE HARRIS HOP PRESS. 

after curing is that the grower's crop will not run as 
even in quality as if carefully stored, in order that they 
may mix the whole thoroughly. The earlier pick- 
ing wnll be lighter; that is, not so rich as the later, be- 
sides no field qf hops will be of exactly the same quality 
and color, even if picked on the same day. To most 
effectually mix, so as to have the whole crop uniform, 
the warehouse should be filled in layers, first covering 



202 



THE HOP. 



the whole floor about two feet deep, and gradually fill 
by adding successive layers; then when baling, by tak- 
ing the whole depth of the pile there will be no appre- 
ciable difference in color or value. This plan gives 
uniform samples from every bale, a point highly desired 
by the buyer." 

Great care should be exercised, so as not to break 
the hops during the process of baling. Many growers 
tramp the hops with their feet without using any board 
to rest on the hops. In fact, we know cases where 




FIG. 114. THE PRESS WITH FRONT REMOVED. 

growers actually stamp the hops in the presses with 
their feet. A horse^power press that does not require 
any tramping is, of course, preferable, but these presses 
are expensive and not all growers can afford them. A 
hand-power press that requires the follower to be run 
down more than once, can be made to bale hops in per- 
fect shape by using the board mentioned above, and 
a springy motion of the knees, while standing in the 



CURIN^G COOLING AND BALING. 



203 



press, instead of tramping them, will prevent the hops 
from breaking. A hop that is broken from any cause, 
whether from baling or otherwise, is far from a 
"choice" hop. It may be all right in other respects, 
but the mere fact that it is broken will detract from its 
selling, as well as its brewing, qualities, and, in addi- 




FIG. 115. PLEASANTON HOP KILN. FRONT ELEVATION. INTERIOR 
VIEW GIVEN OF KILN AT THE LEFT. 

a, Ventilation resnlator (opens and closes by pulley ropes extendinsr to 
kiln floor); ft, kiln floor aox30. built of l>;;xl inch slats set on edtfe. with 1>^ 
Inch space between each slat to allow heat from furnace and pipes to pass 
through hops. Over the slats is laid a carpet of 10-ounce burlap to prevent 
hops from falling through. On this floor the green hops are spread for drying 
process; r, seciion of heating pipes detailed in Fig. 118; </, furnace, of boiler 
iron, 6 feet long. 4 feet diameter, with brick supports and brick enclosure pro- 
vided with draft doors as shown; e, car with movable sides and bottom, used 
to transport the dried hops from Ihe drying floor to coolers (Figs. 120 and 121); 
/, upward sliding doors through which the dried hoi»s are shoved from kilns 
to cars; r/, elevator wheel, for hoisting the green hops in sacks from wagons 
to kiln floor. About a ton are hoisted at one time, the hops being placed on 
^, the elevator platform; /*, stairway built outside of kilns and connecting 
kiln platform with car track; (, door to furnace room ;,/', car track built on 
trestle, 20 feet high, connecting kilns and coolers; /, brick and iron chimney 
50 feet high, provided with, w, dampers for regulating draft in chimney; u, 
elevated platform outside of kiln room; o, 2f^ inch hxdrants connected with 
.Vinch water main trom tank and steam pump; p, 1 inch automatic sprinklers, 
5 over each kiln floor, and connected with same water service. 

tion thereto, a broken hop will naturally age more 
quickly than a whole-berried or a "flaky" one. 

Before beginning to pack the hops in bales, get 
ready the sacking (weight, 20 to 24 ounces per yard), 
twine for stitching, brush and stencil brad, with four 
men to do the work. Cut the cloth four inches longer 



204 



THE HOP. 



than the press, thus allowing two inches on each side 
for stitching. Put the bottom cloth in, fill up the 
press to the middle with hops; then let two men get in 
to press them down with their feet, having a three- 
fourths-inch board, covered with cloth, the full size of 
inside of press (less one-half inch all around), for the 




3i 



FIG. 116. SIDE ELEVATION OF KILNS — INTERIOR VIEW AT LEFT. 



a. Ventilators; b, hop drying floor: c. heating pipes; d. front of stove showing 
brick enclosure; e, sides of hopper, detailed in Fig. 117, /, elevated platform; 
r/, trestle supporting car track; h, door to furnace room; i, door to hop drying 
floor. 

men to stand upon so as not to break the hops. 
Then get out, remove the board, again fill up 
and again press the hops down with the board. 
Next fill up with hops to the top, lower the 
press and squeeze down; lift up, fill up again, 
insert top cloth cut just the same as the bottom, and 



CURING, COOLIKG AKD BALING. 



205 



press down with the clamps. Open the sides and again 
press down about two inches more. Sew on the cloth 
sides with a sacking needle and twine, and then draw. 
Deliver the bale to the fourth man, who will complete 
the sewing of the sides and store away. The press 
should be run down until the cloth will lap at least one 
inch on each side of the bale, and the cloth should 
be evenly but not too tightly drawn, and sewed with 
short, even, lock stitches, causing the strain when the 




FIG. 117. DETAIL OF HOPPER. 

A, A, Space occupied by furnace (shown ate?, d, in Fig. n5) witli surrounding wall. 
On this wall rest the main supports, B, of hoi)per, and smaller supports, C. 
To these supports are nailed iron laths (covered with plaster), making the 
structure practically fireproof. 

bale is loosened to come evenly on all the stitches. After 
being removed from the press, the ends should be 
sewn in at once before the bale commences to sweat. 
A number of styles of presses are used. Large plants 
employ power presses, which do away with tramping 
the hops and save breaking them. The two presses 
at Pleasanton can each turn out 80 to 100 bales a day, 
extraordinary capacity being necessary to handle its 
crop of over 3,000 bales. 



206 



THE HOP. 



Bales should weigh not less than 185 pounds nor 
more than 200 pounds, as near to 185 pounds as pos- 
sible. To make the bales conform to this limit, it is 
necessary to weigh each bale as it comes from the press, 
to be able to determine how to fill the press for the next 
bales; or it can be closely judged by noticing how 
many "scoops" are required per bale. Stencil the bale 
plainly with your brand, which should also give grow- 




FIG. 118. ARRANGEMENT OF HEATING PIPES AND DRUMS. 

a, «, 12-inch main pipe leading from furnace and with continuous turns and as- 
cending, as shown in Fig. 116. finally ending at chimney, "e." At intervals 22 
inch drums (d), 8 feet long, are placed to give more heating surface and to 
more evenly distribute tlie heat. The pipes are of sheet iron with riveted 
seams. 

cr's name, postofifice, county and state. Don't stencil 
the weight. This will be done in the buyer's presence. 
He will deduct five pounds from each bale for the cloth 
(which is the law in New York state), and unless this 
is stipulated, he will want to deduct seven pounds. 

In storing hops, the bales should be set on end, 
not touching each other, and if they are to be stored 



CURING, COOLING AND BALING. 207 

more than one bale deep, a couple of boards can be laid 
on one row for the upper row to stand on. If they are 
to remain in storage any length of time, the bales are 
best turned the other end up every lo days or two 
weeks. 

ADDITIONAL NOTES ON CURING 

Hops from young yards, and hops damaged by 
mold, require to be entirely dry, and may be finished 
up with a few degrees more heat. They also require 
pressing sooner, as they slack and become moist 
sooner, on account of the core or stem being larger. 

Green hops are liable to become heated if allowed 
to remain in bulk, even over night, and it is advisable 
to stir them late in the evening if they have to be kept 
over. Heating will cause the lupulin to drip out. If 
the hops should come to the kiln hot and wilted, it will 
be found to be a good plan to thoroughly dampen them 
with a sprinkling pot of water as the flooring is being 
laid. This causes them to freshen up, and the escaping 
steam will open up the leaves of the strobile, thereby 
letting the heat season out the core of the hops without 
baking all the life out of them by exposing them to 
long continued heat. If the hops are to remain long on 
the platform before going into the kiln, the sacks should 
be set so as not to touch each other, the mouths of the 
sacks opened, and the person caring for them should 
run his hand and arm down through the center to the 
bottom of each sack, then grasp a large handful of hops 
and draw the hand out. This will loosen the hops up 
and leave a hole through the center, permitting the 
air to circulate freely, preventing the hops heating in 
the sacks. 

The proper temperature for curing hops is a mat- 
ter of dispute. The trouble is that with limited kiln 
accommodation, it is necessary to cure the hops in 12 
hours, and to do this extreme heat is required. The 



208 



THE HOP. 




w & 

^ is 

" o 

^ = 

< o 

M O 



fe S 



CURIKG, COOLINa AND B^LIN^G. 209 

kilns can hardly be used for other purposes; they are 
costly to build and maintain, and the average planter 
finds it more profitable to run the risk of a quick cure 
than to have sufficient accommodation to cure his hops 
at a lower temperature, which would require 24 hours 
to each load. The importance of the slower cure at 
a lower temperature is becoming recognized, however, 
and at Sonoma and Pleasanton only one floor is placed 
on the kiln every 24 hours, and the hops are cured at 
the lower heat. Even then, the cured hops hardly com- 
pare with the sun and air dried hops of Germany. 

The usual temperature for a 12-hour cure in this 
country is 140 degrees F., as tested by a thermometer 
hanging in the midst of the hop floor or immediately 
over it — not at one side; formerly it was 160 to 180 
degrees. In England, the temperature ranges from 
120 to 140. Where the 24-hour cure is followed in 
California, the heat is kept at 100 or no. Whatever 
the temperature decided upon, it should be kept 
uniform. 

Should the heat go up suddenly, open the doors 
of the kiln and the ventilators at the bottom of the 
house, so as to reduce the temperature to the desired 
figure. The utmost care and constant attention, com- 
bined with good judgment, are needed to preserve the 
temperature, to watch the hops and to see that the cure 
proceeds properly. 

The extreme heat absolutely destroys a consider- 
able proportion of the essential oils and other brewing 
qualities. Mr. Meeker was perhaps the first American 
writer to call attention to this point, which he did In 
1883, and what he then wrote in his book, "Hop Cul- 
ture" (long since out of print), is equally true to-day: 

"This substance is most sensitive to injury by high 
heat, and hundreds of tons of hops are injured annually, 
and in manj'- cases their value almost totally destroyed by 
the careless or ignorant manner in which they are dried. 
The writer knows by actual experience that when hops are 

14 



210 



THE HOP. 



fsof/-. 







FIG. 120. GROUND PLAN OF THE PLEASANTON ESTABLISHMENT. 

Left half of plant. Ir is duplicated on the right side, not shown hereon. C, Are 
the double kilns shown in Fijjs. USand 116; .fi are similar kilns, and another 
pair of kilns and cooling houses are at the right in the duplicate half of 
plan not shown above. B, Is the large cooler or warehouse. The tower for 
water tax is at the center- with engine, pump, etc., nearhy. 



CUKIKG, COOLIKG AND BALING. 211 

subjected to a heat of over 160 degrees Fahren- 
heit, there is visible to the naked eye, a change 
in the appearance of the lupulin in many samples 
that can be selected in a flooring of hops, though 
not all will show the effect alike. We are led to be- 
lieve from this that either the length of time after being 
dried that the hops are subjected to the current of heated 
air, or else some u:iKnown condition of the hops before 
going on the kiln, governs this visible sensibility to heat; be 
that as it may, the fact stands out prominently so that any 
observing hop grower can demonstrate it with no expense 
and but little trouble. As the heat is increased the 
change becomes more apparent, until at about 180 degrees 
the globules begin to disappear and run together, present- 
ing a dull brown or red appearance, of all shades, according 
to the degrees of intensity, and, as we believe, duration of 
time the hop has been subjected to this high heat. If to the 
naked eye there is a visible change in this delicate substance, 
from the effects of heat, how much more apparent it becomes 
when subjected to the rigid scrutiny of the chemist or the 
practical test of the brewer. The extract or bitter principle 
of the hop, according to Thausing, assumes a reddish-yel- 
low color when heated above 140 degrees Fahrenheit, and 

when cooled off can be rubbed into a fine powder (At 

212 degrees F. the hop bitter swells up under decomposition^ 
and combustion takes place, with a sooty flame.) And yet, 
an American authority recommends ISO degrees F. as a 
safe temperature. We know from experience that it fair- 
ly cooks the hops and destroys much of their value." 

Whitehead, writing in 1897, confirms his earlier 
statements in 1893, and in still earlier years, to the 
efifect that "the merciless treatment of stewing or bak- 
ing, to which English hops are subjected, causes an 
absolute, visible loss of lupulin, besides the loss of 
ethereal essences." English hops, dried slowly at a 
temperature never rising above 100 degrees F., were 
found on analysis to contain larger quantities of resin, 
oil and bitter principles, and at the same time consider- 
ably less moisture, than Spalt hops cured by the same 
process. Worcester hops dried in this gradual man- 
ner were found to be uniformly rich in desirable quali- 
ties and to have far less moisture than the best brands 
from other hop-producing regions of the continent or 
America cured in the ordinary way. 



212 



THE HOP. 




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•2 ■2 -cl «i -M 

"S^ o fe o 



2 - 

'^ 2 '"• "" tJ M 

r^ OJ ^ (JJ O))!^ 



§ 

UJ 

-J 



lU 

o 



^ 






O 

H-l 

H 

iJ f^-S >< = t! 






2r 
2 w 






S §2i55a, 

,t^ CS O o 

03 ..2 ?.*- ?« 



o) 4jC-i 3 a 

ii-i 



vJ "1^ r- tT O " J! 

O oj o « ^ a 



oi p 



^3 c« ^ 05 ;s,e3 
^ V r- ;h -i-> 

>. 5 "S t* o !-< 



=« 1^ u _ 

- i; = s > 

&j ro z; "^ ^ *-^ 

ji; ^iz >• o t> 

Oh ''■^ ""^ '' 

H 



CURING, COOLING AND BALING. 



213 



Meeker pointed out that there is also a greater 
loss in the non-keeping quaHties of high-dried hops 
than those cured at a low temperature. It would be 
interesting to go into more details on this important 
subject of the proper temperature, and to discuss its 
scientific aspects, but the facts are as stated, and this is 
sufficient for all practical purposes. 

THE SULPHURING OF HOPS 

This is done in several ways. In German curing 
kilns, also in English oast houses, the sulphur is thrown 




FIG. 122. COOLER — END ELEVATION. 
See Hg. 121 for explanations. 

directly upon the fire, usually after the hops have be- 
gun to steam, another dose of sulphur being put on the 
fire when the hops are turned. From lo to 20 pounds 
of brimstone are burned for each floor on a 20-foot 
square or i6-ft circular. In New York, the hop 
stoves have a flange on which to burn the sulphur, 
but as it burns too rapidly, the custom there (and also 
on the coast) is to put the sulphur in a pan on the 



214 THE HOP. 

ground, near the stove, and set fire to it with a few hot 
coals or with a red-hot iron. 

If the hops are nice and free from rust, one pound 
of sulphur is used for a floor in a 24-foot kiln, but when 
very rusty, from two to five pounds are used; others 
use only two to three ounces at a time, and burn it 
three times, first when the hops are warmed one-third 
the way through, and last when the heat has reached 
the surface. On the coast, from one to four pounds 
of sulphur per 100 pounds of dried hops is the range. 
Usually a little sulphur is burned, with ventilators 
partly closed, just before the hops are done, to finish ofif 
the drying. The bleaching effect is not as much at 
this time as when the hops are more moist. 

Some Oregon growers find that "the best way to 
burn sulphur is in iron kettles, hung by a hook on 
wires stretched across each corner of the kiln, and high 
enough to be above the heads of anyone passing under- 
neath. These kettles can be lifted off with a forked 
stick and set on the stove to get hot when the fire is 
started, and again hung on the wire as soon as the sul- 
phur is burning well. The kettles can be replenished 
by dropping sticks of sulphur in them while burning. 
They should be kept burning until the hops are 
dry enough to rattle on top. The amount thus used 
will be found to be about one pound to each 20 pounds 
or 25 pounds of dried hops." Meeker burns the sul- 
phur outdoors, but close to the fan, by which the fumes 
are sucked up with the air and forced in a powerful cur- 
rent through the hops after the air is heated. 

No other chemicals should be used, as they de- 
stroy the vitality of the dried hops and cause them to 
fall to pieces and look and feel husky, like chaff. There 
are four reasons for using sulphur: t. The fumes de- 
crease the hygroscopic power of hops: that is, render 
them less able to retain the moisture that is both within 
and without them, and thus the fumes help to carry off 



CURING, COOLING AND BALING. 



215 



the water in the hops. This is a vital point in favor of 
sulphuring. 2. The fumes bleach the hops, dispelling 
spots, dark colors, etc., and making the hops brilliant, 
glistening and attractive it^ appearance and feeling. 3. 
The preserving effect of the fumes prevents deleterious 
transformation of the albuminous and other principles 
in hops, the proper preservation of which is so essen- 




t.1 i,jj-tti ^| Mq i' <Vi 




FIG. 123. CXKCLTLAIl KILN, MONTGOMERY COUNTY, N. Y. 
See ground plans, Figs. 99 and 100. 

tial. 4. The antiseptic action of sulphurous acid fumes 
kills all fungus germs, such as mildew, and is a partial 
safeguard against infection by mold and other fungus 
growth . 

A few years ago brewers claimed that sulphuring 
hops in drying added weight to them, and they pur- 



216 



THE HOP. 




M o 
l-H - 



CUBING, COOLING AKD BALING. 217 

suaded many growers to dry them without sulphur, 
but when they got the hops they were badly disap- 
pointed. The hops contained moisture and impurities 
and lost strength rapidly, and the next year all the 
brewers' chemists advised the liberal use of sulphur. 
Much has been said against the sulphuring of hops, 
but the weight of scientific and practical knowledge, 
and the experience of brewers, is overwhelmingly in 
favor of bleaching with sulphur fumes when the process 
is properly conducted. The Bavarian government's 
commission, under the chairmanship of the great Lie- 
big, made a most elaborate investigation as long ago 
as 1855, and established the great truth that when this 
process is properly done nothing but good results. All 
scientific and practical experience since has abundantly 
confirmed this result. 

But too strong a sulphurous acid gas, made by 
having too much sulphur or by not allowing proper 
ventilation, is certainly bad for the hops. Too much 
gas, like too much heat, tends to give hops unfavorable 
characteristics. Either or both also remove more wa- 
ter than necessary,, The grower's object should be to 
retain as much water as can be done without detriment 
to the keeping qualities of the hops, thus having a 
greater weight for market. American and English 
hops in market usually contain fully 7 to 10 per cent, 
of water; they might contain 10 to 15 per cent, without 
much danger of heating. Re-sul])hured hops in Ger- 
many contain 20 to 22 per cent, of water. 

The use of impure sulphur is even worse. Only 
the very best virgin roll brimstone should be burned. 
A few cents saved in buying cheap or inferior sulphur 
may cause the loss of many dollars in selling value of a 
crop. 

The prejudice against sulphured hops, in the minds 
of certain brewers, is due to the fact that the proc- 
ess is unmercifully abused by irresponsible persons. 



318 



THE HOP. 



Old hops, that have become moldy or discolored, and 
new hops of inferior quality, are often given a beauti- 
ful appearance by re-bleaching, which makes it difficult 
to judge their merits. This trick is much resorted to in 
the mixing of poor hops and inferior growths with 
those of better qualities, so as to palm off the mixture 
as composed wholly of the latter. This is practiced to 
such an extent by German dealers that England buys 
German hops only when forced to do so. 













II MS turn w'niifniioi-m-i***'— 



♦r»c "^ 



FIG. 125. A GLIMPSE OF KENTISH OAST HOTTSES. 



CHAPTER XIV 

GRADING AND MARKETING HOPS 




] IVE different grades are rec- 
ognized in all hop markets 
of this country and England, 
both by the buyers and 
brewers, and they are classi- 
fied as follows: Fancy, 
choice, prime, medium, poor. 
It takes considerable practi- 
cal experience to be able to 
determine the quality of a 
hop and place it in its proper 
grade. There is no means of testing, and one is 
compelled to use his judgment, as well as the 
senses of seeing, smelling and feeling, as the ap- 
pearance, flavor and feel of a hop are all essen- 
tial features to determine its brewing qualities. We 
have been unable to 'ind a single buyer of hops in either 
America, England or Europe, who employs chemi- 
cal analysis as a basis for judging the quality or value 
of hops. In fact, it is generally recognized that the cor- 
rect characteristics of hops cannot be quantitatively 
measured, but are a matter of judgment. Now, because 
judgment of quality may differ so much, and because 
such differences do prevail, we have taken great pains 
to get the views of leading growers, dealers, mer- 
chants and brev/ers in the United States, Canada, Eng- 
land and Europe upon this delicate subject. The con- 
census of opinion seems to agree in a general way upon 
the following as a fair statement of principles. 

219 



220 THE HOP. 

Hops in the trade are described and designated in 
three principal terms: 

1. By their relative quality for a given country or 

section. 

2. By the year of their production. 

3. By the country or section where grown. 
These three terms are connected as follows: 

''Choice 1898 Pacihcs," representing as just stated, 
quality, year and locality. Under such designations a 
large proportion of the world's hop crop is bought and 
sold for immediate or future delivery, and of hops 
already grown and hops to be grown during the follow- 
ing year or term of years. 

The quality is usually described in five so-called 
grades, namely: "Fancy," "Choice," "Prime," "Medi- 
um," and "Common." "Fancy" represents the very 
finest quality, or best selections from "Choice." 
"Choice" represents the first average cjuality, "Prime" 
the next lower average, then "Medium" and finally 
"Common," which is the lowest average quality. 

All hops may be designated in the above grades, 
excepting such hops as are heated or are liable to heat, 
or rot, on account of insufficient drying. This class of 
hops is called unmerchantable and is handled on its 
merits — or rather its demerits — and is never bought 
or sold on grade. 

The year of production is described by using either 
the year in figures, or using "new crop," or "old crop," 
or "old olds," as the case may be. 

The country or section is designated as, "Ameri- 
can," "English," "Germans," "Belgiums," etc., or by 
any of their respective subdivisions. These subdivi- 
sions may be carried down as far as one pleases, say to 
the state, county, town or other described district. As 
illustrating this it may be said that a hop grown near 
Healdsburg, California, would be known in the hop 
trade under any of the following localities, namely: 



GRADING AND MARKETING HOPS. 



221 




222 THE SOP. 

"American," "Pacific Coast," "California," "Russian 
River," "Sonoma," or a Healdsburg hop, each suc- 
cessive title serving to narrow down the location where 
the hop is produced. Likewise in the London market 
the terms "English," "Kent," "Weald of Kent," and 
even the name of the particular plantation are used. In 
Germany such classification is carried to an almost ab- 
surd subdivision. 

The placing of a given hop in its grade is large- 
ly a matter of the likes and dislikes of the expert, and 
the experts themselves rarely agree among themselves 
as to the proper grading of a line of hop samples. With 
the brewers the difference of opinion as to the grades 
is even greater than it is with the hop dealers or ex- 
perts. Again, in naming a grade for a hop, even an 
expert is often in doubt whether to place it in one grade 
or in another; thus, if a sample looks a little too good 
for a given grade and not quite good enough for the 
grade next higher, an intermediate grade is often used, 
which is expressed by connecting these two grades with 
the word "to." Thus: A hop that one considers bet- 
ter than a prime and not quite equal to choice, would 
be expressed as "prime to choice," though these split 
grades are not so frequently employed as the general 
terms, fancy, choice, prime, medium, common. Split 
grades or gradations or peculiarities of quality are 
sometimes spoken of as "strictly fancy," "shipping 
grade," "good brewing quality," "trash," and perhaps 
a hundred other minor terms are sometimes used, tak- 
ing the hop world as a whole, but fancy, choice, prime, 
medium, common, are the accepted standards. 

There are some features of a hop that are liked 
or disliked by everyone, though in many other partic- 
ulars what one purchaser prefers, another condemns. 
Brightness in characteristic color, strong, healthy fla- 
vor, freedom from disease or vermin damage, proper 
maturity, clean picking, flakiness, softness in texture. 



GRADIJ^G AKD MARKETING HOPS. 



223 



abundance of lupulin, arc all conditions that are ap- 
preciated by everyone. Yet as to color, that is, wheth- 
er green, yellow or red; or in flavor, whether from Eng- 
lish, German or other varieties; or as to largeness or 
smallness of the berries, these are conditions the like 
or dislike of which is dependent entirely upon one's 
own fancies. Mold, sour or burnt smell, dirty picking, 




FIG. 127. INTERIOR OF HOP KILN, 

Showing slat floor, with carpet rolled to eiul. Also shows upward sliding door 
(open) through which the dried hops are pubhed into cars, shown in Fig. 112. 

broken and powdered buds, lack of lupulin, no flavor 
and dullness of color are considered defects by every- 
one. Even as to color, there can manifestly be no ar- 
bitrary standard. Hops grow^n in a cloudy season in 
New York state, even with the most perfect curing, 
may come out a sort of slate color, instead of the usual 
bright golden yellow or greenish yellow characteristic 



224 THE HOP. 

of State hops in a favorable season; yet the hops of the 
darker hue may be so attractive in other respects as to 
command top prices. Again, hops of a greenish cast 
or that are "of the green order," as Wahlberg and the 
hop men say, may be choice in every particular and just 
the kind that takes best with certain brewers. Indeed, 
color in hops, as in art, seems to be largely a matter 
of taste and habit, some people wanting one shade, 
some another. 

The chief contention is as to what constitutes a 
choice hop. No doubt this is accounted for to a large 
extent by the failure to distinguish between the use of 
the word as an adjective or as a noun. For example, 
in contracting for a growing crop, it is evident that the 
term is used as a noun, and in this sense it would sig- 
nify a hop which is to be chosen or selected. 
In this case the hops might prove to be choice 
hops of a certain growth and yet not possess that per- 
fection of color, freedom from mold or vermin dam- 
age or impurities, and that perfect cure which may be 
implied by the adjective "choice" or "fancy." To some 
this distinction may appear subtle, but an illustration 
will prove that it may be vital. "^ 

In the spring of 1897, an Oregon hop grower sold 
by contract to a merchant his growing crop of hops, 
which he guaranteed to be choice. Unfortunately the 
1897 hop crop of Oregon was blighted and every sam- 
ple showed traces of the blight, or "mold," as it is term- 
ed in this country. However, the particular lot of hops 
in question were as good as any that were grown in 
Oregon that season, and were manifestly therefore 
such hops as would have been selected or chosen by an 



*For this iUnstration wp are Inrlebterl to Mr. Hiicrli F. Fox, n, weU- 
knoAvn Americati ooDunission meroliant in liops, formerly secretary of 
tlie liop trade eomnnttee of the New York prorluee excliange, and rep- 
resentntive of the jrreat r.erman honse of Rotlibarth Jt Sons. Being 
entirely free from interests eotnieeted with hop culture, this opinion 
may well be taken as unbiased. 



GRADING AND MARKETING HOPS. 225 

expert who wanted the first quaHty of 1897 Oregon 
hops. Therefore they were choice hops, using the 
word choice as a noun, and constituted a good deUvery 
on the part of the grower. 

On the other hand, the merchant made a sale of 
choice Pacific coast hops to a brewer, without specify- 
ing any particular lot of hops, and inasmuch as the 
hops which he obtained from the farmer were speckled 
bv blight, they were not of such a character as could 
be correctly designated by the use of the adjective 
choice, and hence he was unable to deliver them on that 
•particular contract. 

Summin.g up the whole matter, it is safe to con- 
clude thus: To arrive at the grade of a given hop, it is 
best to say that that hop which in an open market 
should fetch the very highest price, would grade 
"fancy," while those fetching the lowest average price 
would grade "common," and the difference between 
the highest price and the lowest price would be equally 
divided to mark the grades of choice, prime and 
medium. There is no other feasible way of describing 
or ascertaining the difference in market value between 
hops of different grades, as the true and only test (from 
the standpoint of grower and dealer) is the market 
value, which is based upon the consideration of all the 
desirable and undesirable features of a given hop. 

SAMPLING HOPS PREPARATORY TO SELLING 

While the wholesale sampling of hops by dealers 
has become a great nuisance to hop growers, they do 
not know just how or where to draw the line, as by 
refusing a dealer samples, they may miss the sale of 
their crop at a good figure. Therefore, they are en- 
tirely at the mercy of all the sample fiends who swarm 
over the country about the end of hop harvest, cutting 
and mutilating the growers* nicely sewed bales and 
scattering hops about. Tn giving a sample where the 
15 



226 



THE HOP. 




CO 
(V 

bD 
Ph 
o 



H 
o 
o 

M 
Q 
H 

o 

Ph 



O 

Pu 
O 

w 

hH 

o 

pq 



00 



GRADIKG AN'D MAKKETING HOPS. 227 

grower expects to make a sale, it is best to require the 
one who takes the sample to draw two from the same 
bale, the grower keeping one for the purpose of 
reference. 

In case the dealer buys the hops and grades them 
from the sample in his possession, the grower can refer 
to his sample if there is any dispute. Hops in the bale 
change in storage, and a sample taken from a bale will 
sometimes look very different when compared with the 
hops in the bale some months later. In delivering, 
the- grower should see that the buyer examines and 
grades all the bales purchased before marking any of 
them. This keeps the bales clean and free from marks, 
provided the parties cannot agree upon the proper 
grading of the crop, and does away with disputes that 
may result in lawsuits. 

It should be universally recognized that sampling 
is ''a delicate operation, requiring great care and 
nicety." A clumsy sampler will seriously injure the 
appearance of a lot: a clever man will give a nice "face" 
to the sample and leave the bale in nice shape. White- 
head describes a proper sample as follows: 

"In a perfect sample the cones, as seen on the face, 
should be whole, with the strings or stalks completely 
free from moisture, and the lupulin or 'gold dust' 
adhering to the bracts. A very few leaves should be 
seen, and the cones should be single and not in 
bunches, and of a pale-gold color. An aromatic odor 
should pervade it, without the slightest trace of the 
sweet, 'gingerbready' smell, like heated clover hay, in- 
dicative of too much fire. Upon rubbing down some of 
the sample in the hand, there should be no fibrous resi- 
due, but the whole should chaff finely, leaving a yellow- 
ish, resinous deposit on the fingers. A well-managed 
and properly desiccated sample is most elastic, and can 
be compressed by the hand into a small compass, re- 
bounding to its original size when the compression is 



228 THE HOP. 

removed. This is a valuable indication of judicious 
drying-." 

In a previous chapter we cautioned growers 
against mixing poor hops, if they have any, with their 
better ones. If a grower has more than one grade 
he should keep them in separate bins in the cooling 
room, and likewise bale them separately, as well as 
keep them separate afterwards, so that when a buyer 
samples them he will find the different qualities and 
ofTer on them accordingly. To mix a poor grade with 
a better quality will usually reduce the selling price of 
the lot to the figure at which the poorer grade alone 
would sell. Hence, keep the moldy, light-colored or 
otherwise inferior quality separate from the better 
grades. But with a nice crop of quite uniform appear- 
ance, it is generally desirable to carefully mix the entire 
growth so thorouglily that every bale will be of the 
same uniform grade and quality. It is often a cpies- 
tion, also, whether it is not best to mix two or more 
varieties (we do not here mean grades of quality), for 
very often a careful mixture of hops from red vines 
with ''clusters" is a decided benefit in flavor, as well as 
m appearance and attractiveness to the dealer or 
brewer. So, too, of the Humphreys, that are usually 
very bright, but which if mixed with the main crop 
help tlie average color of the whole without losing any 
market value on the Humphreys. 

All liops are sold by sample or grade and subject 
to insj^ection, and it is customary for the buyer to take 
all the hops that are equal to or better than the sample 
or grade; while, at the same time, he has the right to 
reject any and all bales that do not come up to the sell- 
ing sample or grade. There is no averaging of hops, 
and the buyer can be compelled to take only 
those hops that run equal to sample, and even 
if he secures some that are better, he cannot be 
compelled to take those that are worse. It can 



GRADING AND MARKETING HOPS. 229 

be readily seen that if a buyer is given a sample of 
the best portion of a crop, trouble will result when it 
comes to inspection. On the other hand, should the 
grower submit his worst sample, he will not receive 
what he is justly entitled to for his entire crop, as no 
buyer will object to hops that are better than the pur- 
chased sample. 

Therefore, if a grower will keep his different qual- 
ities separate and submit samples of each quality to the 
buyer, and sell accordingly, there will be no misrepre- 
sentation and no chance for dispute. The ordinary 
grower will usually do well to have as few grades as 
possible, at least two — the main crop and late picked. 

It is customary when a trade is made between 
buyer and seller, for the former to take his purchasing 
sample or samples and lay on a board or table beside the 
lot he has bought. He then proceeds to examine each 
bale with a tryer, which is an instrument about i6 
inches long and three-eighths of an inch in diameter, 
with a crosspiece at one end, about four inches long, for 
a handle. The other end comes to a sharp point and. 
has a hook similar to a fishing hook. This tryer is 
thrust into the bale, the cloth of which has been cut to 
a length of about two inches, and the tryer is then given 
half a twist and withdrawn. The hook brings out a 
good-sized handful of hops, which the buyer proceeds 
to examine and compare with the purchase sample. 
Each handful of hops is laid on a board or table and 
compared. By this means one can get a correct idea of 
the contents of each bale, especially to determine its 
condition as to curing. It is sometimes necessary 
to examine a bale in more than one place, to look out 
for false packing, of which we spoke in a previous 
chapter. 

Hops that will crumble when compressed in the 
hand are over-dried and probably high-dried. Their 
brittleness indicates that the moisture, as well as the 



230 THE HOP. 

ecsential oil, has been dried out of them. On the other 
hand, a hop that is not dried enough, or what is termed 
in the trade "a slack-dried hop," will be clammy when 
compressed, and will not only feel moist, but will stick 
together in a ball or lump. The sample of a properly 
cured hop will be springy and full of life, and when a 
portion is taken in the hand and compressed, it will be 
found to be very ^oft and silky, and, like a silk handker- 
chief, will rebound when the pressure is released. 
When rubbed in the hand, it will emit a pungent, aro- 
matic odor. Springiness in the sample is necessary, 
for it indicates just the right condition. A bale a little 
boardy may keep till warm July or August weather, 
and then heat. 

An expert can get a very good idea of the quality 
of a hop by the mere feeling of it, and when upon com- 
pressing a handful from ti sample he finds that it is elas- 
tic and springy and rebounds without crumbling, it is 
one of the numet-ous indications to him that the hop 
has been well handled in the curing and baling. On 
the other hand, if it feels quite moist and clammy, it is 
an indication of slackness, and if there is considerable 
moisture, he will know that the hops will soon heat. 
Everything else being the same, the springy lot will 
have a fine flavor and the boardy lot lack in aroma. 

The llavor of a hop is another important feature 
in determining its value and quality. A flavor that 
savors of burned bread, or, as Whitehead terms it, ''gin- 
gerbready," is an indication of too much heat or fire, 
while a sour or musty flavor is an indication of a slack- 
ness, a defect that sometimes proves quite costly, as it 
quite often happens that slack hops commence to heat 
and tuin black after they have been put in the cars, 
although they may have stayed in the warehouse for 
some time without heating. A slack hop will not stand 
shipment for any distance, especially for export. For 
that reason it is essential that the hops be properly 



GKADING AND MAEKETIKG HOPS. 



2'6l 




FIG. 129. WASHINGTON HOP KILNS IN KING COUNTY, NEAjR 

AUBURN. 



232 THE HOP. 

cured, while at the same time, they should not be dried 
too much, as that destroys the active brewing 
principles. 

MARKETING THE CROP 

Even when the hop grower's crop is safely baled, 
in accordance with the most rigid rules as to quality, 
his troubles are by no means ended. When to sell is 
the next problem, to which no definite answer can be 
given. 

The course of prices in the Nuremberg hop mar- 
ket for upward of fifty years, confirmed by the range 
of prices at New York city, warrants the conclusion 
that, as a general thing, prices average somewhat 
higher during September, October and November than 
during the next quarter, while the lowest prices usually 
occur in spring and summer. Yet, there are excep- 
tions to this rule. In the fall of 97 hops opened at low 
prices, and by midwinter had quite doubled in price. 
The extreme fluctuations in prices in different years, 
together with the rapid and violent changes from 
month to month, are shown by the tables of 
m^'Uthly quotations in the appendix. These tables will 
amply lepay the most careful study. The grower who 
will not study them for himself would not be benefited 
by oiu" analysis of the price tables. 

Certain it is, that the export demand has an impor- 
tant influence on values. If the foreign market is short 
of old hops, and the new crop abroad is inferior, either 
in c|uantity or quality, the active export demand is a 
brilliant factor in the domestic market. The great bulk 
of American exports is from New York, and the ex- 
port movement from that port is therefore of vital and 
constant interest. The appendix tables throw a flood erf 
light on the movement and its relation to prices. Com 
paring these data for the five years 1889- '93 inclusive, 
with the three years more recently, '94-6 inclusive, an 
interesting exhibit is obtained: 



GRADING AND MARKETING HOPS. 



233 



HOP EXPORTS IN BALES FROM NEW YORK CITY, AND PRICES (ill cents 

per i)ound.) 





Five years, 1889-'93. 


Tlu3e years, 1894-'96. 


Totals for 


Ex- 
ports. 

101,838 
96,595 
22,742 

27,895 


%of 
total. 


Av. price. 
Cents. 

24.9 
24.6 
23.6 
22.1 


Ex- 
ports. 

07,990 

100,988 

33.704 

9,455. 


%uf 
total. 


Av. price. 

Cents. 


Sept. Oct. Nov. 
Dec. Jun. Feb. 
Mar. Apr. May 
Jiin. July, Au}r. 


41 

39 

9 

11 


32 

48 

10 

4 


10.7 

11.4 

9.3 

7.5 



The receipts of domestic hops at New York city 
by rail are reported in American Agriculturist from 
week to week, together with the exports. If it appears 
that the exports are taking a large proportion of the 
receipts, this is usually a healthy sign for the 
immediate future of values. The moment ship- 
ments abroad fall ofif and domestic supplies accumu- 
late at New York, dealers make this a pretext for ham- 
mering down prices. The appendix exhibit of receipts 
St New York city should be carefully studied, in rela- 
tion to both the total crop at home and abroad, and 
cur exports and imports. Then, by comparing the 
weekly and monthly statistics as the season advances, 
one may form some judgment of the movement of 
the crop. 

The uncertainty as to prices makes hops a very 
fascinating crop to speculate in, and growers as well as 
dealers often cannot resist the temptation to speculate 
in their community. When prices advance, it is impos- 
sible to foretell how high they will go, and growers 
feel justified in holding, but when prices begin to de- 
cline, no one is anxious to buy, as there is no telling 
how low they will go. Therefore, the hop grower fre- 
quently sells too soon or holds on too long, and rarely 
indeed does he realize the top market price. 

The author has made a close study of this matter 
for some years, and has collected the actual experience 
in selling of about too planters, including men of all 
shades of ability in raising and selling hops. It appears 
that those who have sold early for cash at the market 



234 THE HOP. 

price, say between October i and December i, have 
averaged better returns than their speculating neigh- 
bors. The former are still raising hops and are toler- 
ably satisfied with the business; the latter have quit in 
disgust, many of them, if they have not failed outright. 
Growers who make every effort to put up a nice crop in 
good shape are mostly disposed to sell within three or 
four months of harvest at the going price. Their busi- 
ness is to make a nice hop; they are willing to let the 
men do the speculating whose business it is to 
speculate. 

Aside from the matter of wdien to sell, about which 
opinions must always differ, there is an opportunity for 
growers to co-operate and greatly improve the method 
of selling. Yet, right here the division of sentiment 
as to the time of selling enters as a serious obstacle. 
The hop, however, is a commodity that can be readily 
sold by sample. If now the growers in each state or 
each section would unite in a hop exchange, through 
wdiich their samples might be properly classified and 
guaranteed, this would be a great step in advance. 
These samples could be brought together at the office 
or headquarters of the exchange, and would thus 
attract the largest number of buyers. The sales could 
be made either privately or by the auction system, at 
stated hours or dates. By this method, the growers 
would bring together the largest number of buyers, 
tlius creating a competition that would result in the 
best possible prices. This is quite different from the 
present method, by which the average grower too often 
feels obliged to accept whatever offer is made by the 
buyer wdio happens to come along wdien the producer 
feels like selling. 

Apart from the division of sentiment over the 
time at which to sell, there should be no great obstacle 
against forming and operating such hop growers' ex- 
changes. With no crop can this method of co-opera- 



GEADING AXD MARKETIi^G HOPS. 235 

tive selling be handled to better advantage. The 
grower can fix his own price, and instruct the exchange 
not to let his crop go for less, and can modify his views 
either way from day to day as he deems fit. The ex- 
change would be the headquarters for all information 
about crops and markets. Since the exchange would 
have to guarantee that the quality of the bale would be 
up to sample, it would have to enforce the most care- 
ful packing and a rigid inspection. Yet, this is no 
more than the buyer now expects, and by the exchange 
system the grower would suffer far less from these 
exactions than at present. Each crop would be sold 
on its merits, or, if desired, the exchange could arrange 
for the mixing of crops so as to furnish large lots of 
an even quality. With good business management 
and proper support on the part of hop growlers, such 
an exchange could not fail to be of great value to both 
buyers and dealers. While new to the hop trade, it is 
not a new method of selling produce, but has been long 
used and not found wanting. W^e believe it is only 
a question of time before the exigencies of the business 
and the good sense of hop planters will lead them to 
unite in efforts of this kind. 

Permanent improvement in prices, how^ever, will 
depend more on limiting the production than through 
any other agency. How to accomplish this is an ex- 
tremely difficult problem. Since spraying for lice and 
mold has come into vogue, it is not likely that such 
absolute failures will again occur as have occasionally 
characterized the past; Without concert of action, 
every naturally short crop, with its consequent high 
prices, will be followed by an increased area throughout 
the hop-growing world, to be followed by another 
period of low prices. The hop planter is therefore the 
architect of his own fortunes and can reckon on good 
prices only when the acreage is kept down to a 
minimum. 



236 



THE HOP. 



But the trouble is that the average planter expects 
the other fellow will go out of the business and that, 
therefore, he can extend his own acreage. Co-operation 
to reduce the acreage has failed heretofore, and the indi- 
vidual action just noted too often leads to fresh over- 
production. The improved methods of holding hops 




FIG. 130 . HOP KILNS, PLEASANTON. 

in cold storage enable brewers to lay in large stocks 
during seasons of plenty and low prices, and this mili- 
tates against improvement in prices more than was for- 
merly the case. We find this quite as true in Europe 
and in England as in the United States, except that 
in those countries the area does not expand as rapidly 



GRADING AKD MARKETING HOPS. 23l! 

as in the United States, particularly on the Pacific 
coast, where a good crop is obtained the first year from 
planting. 

STORING HOPS FOR LONG KEEPING ' 

Several methods have been recommended and 
used to protect hops as much as possible against the 
action of atmospheric air. Pressing them meets 
with steadily increasing favor in England, and is gen- 
erally used in America, instead of treading them into 
bags, as is customary in Germany. This pressing is 
of decided advantage, but the hops must be well dried 
before they are pressed. It has been recommended to 
press the hops into pitched barrels instead of bales, and 
to store them in ice cellars (Scharr). Bing, of Nurem- 
berg, presses them into square bales by hydraulic 
presses; the bales are then put into well-soldered tin 
boxes, and then are placed in well-pitched wooden 
boxes. It has been further proposed to press the hops 
into tin boxes, to close them hermetically, and to store 
them in a cold cellar (Neubecker). 

According to Brainard's method of preserving 
them, they are well dried and packed in bags, and 
brought into a store room, which can be kept dark, dry 
and cool, and can be hermetically closed. For this pur- 
pose, the store room has double walls, and is provided 
with ice on the upper floor, in the same manner as 
Brainard's store cellar and fermenting cellar. The effi- 
cacy of cold storage is seriously questioned, however. 
The store room should be closed as much as possible 
against the air, and should be dry and cool.. It should 
not be located directly under the roof, where damp air 
can easily enter, and a simple partition of boards is 
not sui^cient for this purpose. The best plan is to build 
the store room with bricks or double-frame sides, be- 
tween which is placed an isolating layer. 

East Kent hops, when four months old, contained 



^38 



THE HOP. 










- ^«?#«< 










^i >t^*Mu^if^^^?^£^. 



GRADING AXD MARKETING HOPS. 239 

T2.3 per cent, of hard resins and 29 per cent, of soft, 
but after having been stored a year in a brewery under 
ordinary conditions, the soft resins had fallen to 8.3 
per cent, and the hard rose to 7.3 per cent. The chem- 
ist's theory that the brewing value of hops is gauged 
only by the soft resins, which is apparently borne out by 
practical experience in brewing, indicates a loss of one- 
third in the actual brewing strength of these hops dur- 
ing the year. If as new hops they were worth 24 cents 
per pound, then, as old hops, 16 cents would be a full 
price for them. This depreciation explains the im- 
portance of proper care of old hops. Hermetically 
sealed up in galvanized iron cases, hops have been kept 
for two years or more without appreciable loss in 
brewing power. 

EXTRACTING THE LUPULIX 

And bottling it has long been successfully practiced. 
One concern in central New York has made the fifth 
addition to its hop extract works, and has worked up 
more than 15,000,000 pounds of hops since its incep- 
tion 25 years ago. 

The process of preserving consists simply in re- 
moving the sacking from the bales, breaking the hops 
apart, putting them into large tanks, closing up the 
tanks, pumping in an easily evaporated solvent, which 
makes a solution of the lupulin, drawing ofif this solu- 
tion into evaporators, where the solvent is evaporated 
and the pure extract of the hops left behind in the 
evaporator, whence it is drawn off and soldered up in 
cans, thus made air-tight, so that the extract will keep 
fresh for a good many years. This operation, waste, 
car freight, etc., cost five cents per pound of hops han- 
dled: T2 pounds of good hops yield one pound of ex- 
tract, which is equal in the brewery to 12 pounds of 
^hops. Brewers patronize this factory quite largely, 
especially when hops are dear. 



240 THE HOP. 

A dilferent method for accomplishing a similar 
purpose has been perfected at the municipal brewing 
school in Ghent, Belgium, and is now being used by a 
syndicate of Belgian brewers. They establish works 
near the plantations, for convenience of delivery, and 
buy hops only after analysis, paying according to the 
amount of lupulin they contain, quite regardless of 
color or odor. The hops are further dried at 95 
degrees F. The dried cones are then operated upon 
by a machine, which, by the action of brushes, sieves 
and fans, breaks them up into their separate petals, 
and mechanically separates from them the lupulinic 
powder. The golden flour is collected and put aside. 
The leaves are then passed through a series of several 
washing cylinders, being treated therein with water at 
a specified heat, until they are completely macerated, 
and the tannic acid and other soluble matters contained 
in them are entirely removed. The undissolved pro- 
portion remaining after this process is very small; 
therefore the waste is reduced to a minimum. The 
fluid passing from the cylinders is then evaporated in 
vacuo at the temperature of about 95 degrees F., until 
it attains the consistency of syrup. To this are then 
added the grains of lupulin, forming together a kind 
of greasy, brown paste, which is packed in hermetic- 
ally sealed tin boxes, from which the natural air is 
afterwards expelled, and replaced by carbolic gas. 

In this manner it is claimed that all the useful pre- 
servative quality, as well as the flavor originally pos- 
sessed by the hops is preserved without any deterio- 
ration, and that it can be sold to the brewer for his 
storage for an indefinite period. Other advantages 
shown to brewers are: — 

Reduction in space required for storage, as the 
bulk of the hops is reduced by two-thirds, 100 pounds 
of natural hops producing 30 pounds of extract; uni- 
formity of quality, whereby beer can always be pro- 



GRADrnG AND MARKETING HOPS. 



241 



diiced with the same flavor, and containing the same 
preservative elements under any varying condition of 
climate; economy in using extract in comparison with 
natural hops. It is stated that the extract is completely 
soluble in cold as well as hot water, and that there is, 
therefore, nothing in it to affect the color or the clear- 
ness of the beer. 




FIG. i;J3. SCENE IN AN ENGLISH OAST HOUSE. 



IG 



342 



THE HOP. 




CO 
CO 



CHAPTER XV 

CONCENTRATION IN HOP GROWING 

In some respects the growing of hops on the Pa- 
cific coast is undergoing the same evolution that is 
witnessed in other industries. For lack of capital, low 
prices for the product, inexperience or lack of proper 
attention to the crop, many growers have been forced 
out of the industry, and in not a few cases have been 
obliged to sacrifice their plantations. Their farms 
thus become consolidated into large holdings owned 
and operated by m?n of ample means and knowledge, 
who conduct hop growing and marketing on a large 
scale, by scientific methods and on strictly business 
principles. 

One of the most prominent instances of this ten- 
dency is afforded by the Horst Brothers. They have 
under cultivation a tract of 700 acres (see Fig. 6, Page 
24) on their home ranch at Horstville, on the Bear 
river, Yuba county, Cal., and this one tract produces 
annually over 5000 bales, equal to a million pounds, of 
hops per year. They also own and operate other large 
tracts in hops on the Russian river in California, on the 
Willamette river in Oregon, and on the Fraser river in 
British Columbia. 

The Messrs. Horst grow their hops against con- 
tracts that they have with brewers throughout the 
world, and that are made for a long term of years in 
advance, thus relieving themselves of the industry's 
speculative features and giving them control of a good 
share of the hop business. This plan has advantages 
for the breweries as well, as they are assured of a sup- 
ply of hops of satisfactory quality at a fair margin over 

243 



244 



THE HOP. 







CONCENTRATION IN HOP GROWING. 245 

the cost of production, which is usually below what 
they would otherwise have to pay. 

The ranch at Horstville is the basis for their ex- 
tensive operations. The entire 700 acres devoted 
thereon to hops are set in the improved wire trellis on 
20-foot poles that are set two feet in the ground, thus 
leaving the horizontal trellis wires 18 feet overhead, 
from which tw^o strings run down to each hill. A yard 
is devoted to experimental purposes, where the dif- 
ferent varieties from all parts of the world are tested 
and seedlings are originated, some of which bid fair to 
combine all the qualities most desired. The illustra- 
tions in connection with this chapter show a number of 
varieties most popular with brewers that are grown on 
a large scale on this ranch. 

One remarkable feature about this establishment at 
Horstville is that lice and mold have never been known 
since hop culture was inaugurated there, forty years 
ago, and this fact, combined w'ith a soil and climate 
peculiarly adapted to hop culture, makes this locality 
one of the most certain and most prolific sections for 
hops in the world. The ranch is on the banks of the 
Bear river, and in a dry season the river can be used 
for irrigating, thus making the crop certain regardless 
of rain. In the year 1898, when California sufifered 
from such a drouth as had never been knowm, this hop 
ranch produced the same quality and quantity per acre 
as usual. 

By thus concentrating, under one management, 
many plantations, the entire culture, harvest, curing 
and sale of the crop is in the hands of experts. Noth- 
ing is left to guesswork; slipshod methods are not 
tolerated. Every detail is conducted on businesslike 
and scientific principles and receives the benefit of the 
wide experience acquired by the owners of this ranch, 
not only in growing hops, but in disposing of them. 

The latest improvement devised by Horst Brothers 



2M] 



THE HOP. 




FIG. 135. EAST KENT GOLDINGS. 



CON"CENTRATION IJf HOP GEOWING. 247 

is their new kilns. These dry and cure the hops at the 
lowest possible temperature and are now being further 
improved with a system by means of which the hops 
are dried by currents of air driven through them by fan 
blowers. This air is not heated at all, and no artificial 
heat of any kind will be used to effect the drying or 
curing, thereby completely preserving the aroma, tex- 
ture and lupulin, — qualities which are otherwise likely 
to be sacrificed, to a more or less extent, during the 
cure. These kilns and storage houses are built entirely 
of iron, bridge construction for the frame, corrugated 
iron for sides and roof, and the hop kiln floors are No. 
4 steel wires, one and one-half inches apart, with No. 
(O crosswires about six inches apart, thus giving prac- 
tically all the surface to curing the hops, instead of 
only one-half, as by the ordinary wooden floor process. 
These iron kilns are considered so absolutely fireproof 
that no insurance is carried, and this style of construc- 
tion is evidently to come into general use. All the 
other hop kilns on this ranch are now being remodeled 
to conform to the arrangement of the battery of six 
kilns above described, which are shown in the illus- 
tration on Page 216. 

Another notable improvement used by Horst 
Brothers is a hydraulic compress for recompressing 
the ordinary 200-pound bale of hops into a package of 
one-half the usual size. This saves space in storage 
and in transportation, and brewers speak highly of the 
better keeping qualities of the hops thus compressed. 
The crop is here grown on such a large scale that it is 
shipped from the ranch by whole train-loads, to be dis- 
tributed throuerhout the world. 



248 



THE HOP. 




ti 3 



CHAPTER XVI 



EXPENSES AND PROFITS OF HOP CULTURE 



HE cost of growing hops va- 
ries widely, even between 
neighboring plantations, by 
reason of difTferences of 
methods and yields, and still 
more widely between differ- 
ent countries. Profits fluc- 
tuate even more seriously, 
depending upon both yield 
and prices. The yield of 
cured hops per acre ordi- 
narily varies within the following limits as a fair aver- 
age for all growers, but in extraordinary seasons may 
exceed them either way, while the best growers will 
often exceed the highest figure quoted: 




YIELD OF 


CURED HOPS PER ACRE AND COST. 

Pounds per acre. 




Higliest. 

800 
1,000 
1,500 
2,000 


Lowest. 
400 
500 
400 
600 


Average. 

500 

900 

800 

1,200 


Cost per 11). 


Germany 

England 

New York 


20 to 30c 

12 to 20c 

8 to 20c 


Pacific coast 


6 to Ific 







Germany — Owing to the peculiar methods in Germany, 
previously noted, it is quite useless to attempt any statement 
of receipts and expenses of the peasant hop grower. 

For E^GLA^D, however, Whitehead, in 1893, revised all 
previous estimates, and Mr. E. H. Elvy, editor of the Kentish 
Ohscrvrr, the leading hop journal in England, has carefully 
corrected the returns up to 1899 for this work, as follows: 

The land on which hops are grown in Kent is worth 
about $200 an acre, and interest is reckoned at 5 per cent. 
To start a new plantation will cost from $100 to $125 per 
acre, including preparation of the soil, fertilizing, sets and 
planting, cultivating, rent, taxes, etc. Plants cost $1 to $2.50 

2-iO 



250 



THE HOP. 



per 100, usually $1.25. Poles or trellis cost $50 to $100 per 
acre. Thus the cost to get ready a new hop yard in England 
will vary from $150 to $275 per acre. The kiln for 20 acres 
costs about $2500, or, say, $100 an acre. After this invest- 
ment, the following table affords a fair range of the yearly 
expense over a large part of the English acreage, being larger 
or smaller according to circumstances. 

ENGLAND— AVERAGE YEARLY EXPENSE PER ACRE OF HOPS.* 



Manure 

Digging 

Dressing or cutting 

Foling, tying, training, lewing 

Cultivating and lioeing 

Stacking, stripping, cleaning up yards . .. 

Annual renewal of poles or trellis 

Picking, curing, packing, sampling, etc.. 

Rent, taxes, repairs, interest, etc 

Sulphuring to prevent mildew 

Spraying against lice, etc 

Total 

Lbs. per acre under favorable conditions 
Cost per pound, say 



Hieliest 


Lowest. 


Average 


$40.00 


$20.00 


$30.00 


6.00 


3.00 


4.50 


2.00 


1.00 


1.50 


11.00 


7.00 


9.50 


16.00 


10.00 


12.50 


4.00 


2.50 


3.00 


10.00 


7.00 


8.50 


50.00 


30.00 


42.50 


32.00 


25.00 


27.50 


5.00 


2.00 


3.50 


12.00 


7.50 


9.00 


$188.00 


$115.00 


$152.00 


1,000 


700 


900 


19c 


17c 


16c 



*The £ sterling is figured at 
at two cents. 



>, the shilling at 25 cents, the penny 



Thus we get an annual charge per acre of $188 as one 
extreme, down to $115 as the lowest, or an average of $152 
for yards kept up in good condition; against about $112 
estimated by Marshall just a century earlier, about $120 by 
Mainwaring's figures in 1855, and Worcester planters' esti- 
mate in 1890 of $145 to $170 per acre for a good crop. 

A— Annual cost per acre of hop culture in an East Kent yard, three 
pole system and simplest methods still largely followed. 

Stripping vines and stacking poles $ 1.25 

Annual renewal of poles 25.00 

Stable manure, also carting and spreading it ; 15.00 

Digging $5, cutting $1.25, poling $3, tying $3 12.25 

Digging about hills $1.25, shimming and liarrowing $5 6.25 

Picking $25, digging $10, pockets $6.25 41.25 

Kent, rales, tithes $20, sundries $6.25 26.25 

Total cost for average yield of 7 cwt. per acre $127.25 

Average cost of hops per pound 16c 

B— Annual cost per acre of hop cultTire in Mr. J. D. Maxted's yard, 
East Kent, on the Butcher wire trellis and highest culture by meth- 
ods employed by the most enterprising planters in England. 

Manures— 12 loads of dung $15, 10 cwt. of artificial fertilizer 

$10, 5 c-wt. gypsum $1.43 $26.43 

Team labor— Carting out dung $4, plowing $2, twice 3-horse 
shimming $3, thrice 2-horse ditto $2.62, twice 1-horse liarrow 
50c. cartage on fertilizer 28c 12.30 

Manual labor— Spreading dung 37c, digging slips three times 
$7.50, cutting $1.25, stringing $2.50, catting off old vines $1, 
training $7.50, repairs to wire work and lews $1.50, digging 
round 50c 22.52 



EXPENSES AKD PROFITS. 



261 



Sundries— Three c\iltivatings $11.38, tliree siilphurings $2.16, 
string for trellis $8.22, new poles and wii'e $2.40, new imple- 
ments and repairs to old ones $3.60. blacksmith's bill $1.68, 
rent and rates $14.58, proportion of supervision $4.86, hire 
of oast $2.40 51.28 

Total up to harvest time (about 6% cts per lb.) $112.53 

Harvesting and marketing costs 30s per cwt., or within a frac- 
tion of 6I2C per lb, including picking and curing and getting 
to marivet (coal, brimstone, pockets, binmen, tallymen, cart- 
age to oasis and station, freight, insurance, commission and 
sampling), a total of 106.72 

Aggregate cost of a yield of 15 cwt, per acre (or 1,680 lbs. at an 

average cost of a trifle over 13 cents per lb.) $219.25 

COST OF HOPS IN NEW YORK STATE, U. S. A. 
Net Profits of $150 Per Acre — The late William 
Brooks of Cooperstown, New York, furnished a remarkable 
statement to the 2V>/r England ^Icmestead ia 1885, in which 
he placed the cost of production at 10c per lb. He always 
gave his yard the best possible care and sold his hops at 
the market price when baled. He bought his farm of 100 
acres in 1863 for $3000. It had five acres in hops, to which 
he added two more acres in 1866. From these seven acres, 
he received $38,180 for the 21 hop crops, 1863-'84, or an aver- 
age of $2367 per year, equal to $339 per acre per year. But this 
was during a period when hops averaged higher than of late 
years. But the fact that the crop yielded an average of 1300 
lbs. per acre all these years, or nearly double the product 
on neighboring yards, where cost per pound was as much or 
more, shows what can be done. His net profits must have 
averaged for the 21 years over $150 per acre. Mr. Brooks 
furnished details of his last 10 crops as follows: 





Bales 


Pounds. 


Price per pound. 


Tot'l rec'ts. 


1875 


4» 


9,910 


13c 


$1,288 


1876 


43 


8,869 


34c 


3,113 


1877 


62 


12,006 


lie 


1,309 


1878 


46 


8,693 


14e 


1,141 


1879 


49 


8,531 


30-35C 


3,512 


1880 


43 


8,221 


16c 


1,315 


1881 


52 


9,663 


25c 


2.417 


1882 


36 


6,402 


70e 


4,481 


1883 


54 


9.6.36 


31c 


2.876 


1884 


53 

486 


9,590 
91.521 


24-25C 


2,223 


Total, 


av 25.8c 


$23,675 


Av. per year, 7 a 


cres 


9,1.52 


25.8c 


2,367 


Av. per year, pe 


r acre 


1.307 


25.8e 


339 



NEW YORK STATE— COST OF GROWING HOPS 

Otsego CorivTY. N. Y. — W. H. G.'s 10-acre hop field 
cost $75 an acre, hills 8x8 ft, or 675 per acre; cedar poles at 
12c, delivered, cost $810 for the yard. The kiln and store- 
room is 50x24, and cost, including furnace, press, and other 
fxtures, $1600. The sacks for green hops, boxes for picking, 
etc., cost $40. The cultivators, hillers. grub hooks, bars for 
pole-setting, etc., cost $50. The pickers boarded themselves 
and at 40c per box were paid $206 for the 515 boxes; five box- 
tenders at $1 each for 15 days, $75; expense of collecting and 



252 



THE HOP. 



carrying pickers, $15; man at kiln 15 nights, at $1.25 per 
night, $18.75; use of kiln-cloth $3 (it cost $45 for 900 lbs. at 
5c), a total of $317.75, or 3.9c per lb. of cured hops. Insur- 
ance was $3500 on hop house for 30 days at 40c per $100, mak- 
ing $14, and $2000 for balance of year at $12. Work is 
charged for at its local market value. Total cost a trifle 
over 12c per lb., and i s he sold for 13c, he made a slight profit 
over and above fair return for his labor and capital. The 
operating expenses were 8.5c per lb. sold, fixed rharges 3.7c, 
or a total cost of 12.2c per lb. of hops. If $30 worth of the 
$88 spent for fertilizers is allowerl to be -i the soil for the 
next crop, the net operating expense of this 1897 crop was 
$663,25, or $66.35 per acre. Adding depreciation and taxes, 
$259, the total cost of production is $922 for the ten acres, 
or, say, $92 per acre. Deduct this total cost from the receipts 
for the crop, and the balance of $126 represents the net re- 
turns on the $750 invested in the land, or 17 per cent. Or, if 
we figure the investment at $3250 (including land, $750, poles 
$810, building $1600, tools $90), the difference of $395 between 
operating expenses ($663) and receipts ($1058) represents the 
net earnings on the investment, and shows a net income on 
such investment of nearly 13 per cent. In the table the items 
are arranged in the order that the work was done. 



Setting poles .-it 20c per 100 

Grnbbiiifj; by hand 

Two-liorse eullivjitor, once both ways 

Tyinii "P slioots, four wonien at 75c "per day 

Twine and labor ])uttinjj on 

Tying, trininiing, 'training (women) 

Cnltivating again, both ways 

Fertilizing (tonr tons hardwood aslies at ^12, one 
ton bone meal .f 40) 

Handling, mixing and applying fertilizers about 
hills 

Twine, and putting on 

Hilling, shov^el-plow one way and hoeing. 

Last two cultivatings (lightly), tying up broken 
vines, eie '. 

Harvesting and curing (details above) 

Krimstone $3, fuel .$8, insurance $26 

Baling at 20c per bale 

Staclcing poles, covering hills for winter 

Delivering crop at station 

Operaiing expenses for crop 

Fixed charges (interest on Land at 6 per cent., .'i!42; 
depreciation of poles at 10 per cent., $81 ; de- 
preciation on kilns, tools, boxes, etc., .f 169; 
taxes, $9) 

Total cost of croi^ 

8140 lbs. hops sold and netted 

Net balance 



Ten acres 



$13.50 
25.00 
12.00 
9.00 
40.00 
;}0.00 
10.00 

88.00 

7.00 
40.00 
20.00 

15.00 

317.75 

37.00 

9.00 

15.00 

5.00 



$693.25 



301.00 



$994.25 
1,058.20 

$53.95 



One acre. 



$1.35 
2.50 
1.20 
90 
4.00 
3.00 
1.00 

8.80 

.70 
4.00 
2.00 

1.50 

31.77 

3.70 

.90 
1.50 

.50 



$69.32 



30.10 



$99.42 
105.82 

$5.40 



Madison County, N. Y.— L. W. Griswold gives his 
estimate of cost of raising one acre of hops in the table be- 
low. Dividing the total cost by 1000 lbs., which is certainly 



EXPENSES AND PROFITS. 253 

a large average yield per acre, it gives the cost of the first 
crop as a little over 25c per lb., exclusive of the cost of build- 
ing kiln and storehouse. Deducting the price of poles, roots 
and tools, preparation and planting of yard, and adding 
$5 for the breakage of poles and wear of tools, we find the 
cost for the following year to be $76.85, or a trifle over 7i/^c per 
lb. When, however, we add $500 for building a kiln and store- 
house, to the other expenses, and depreciation, interest, etc., 
on same the actual cost is far above 7i/^c. 

Prepai'inp: ground for planting , ^3.00 

Sets tor planting 750 liills 7.50 

1,500 liop poles, 10c encli 150.00 

Tools, including two hop boxes 12.00 

Setting poles, '20e per 100 3.00 

Grubbing, one day's work 2.00 

Plowing and cultivating twice each O.OO 

Hoeing twice, t wo days' work 4.00 

Tying three times 3.00 

Picking 77 boxes, 30c per box 23.10 

Boarding and lodging pickers 12.00 

Drying ho]>s 5.00 

Baling 10 l)ales, 50 yds. sacking and lahor 7.50 

Interest on land, valtied at $150 per acre 7.50 

Insurance $2, taxes 75c, fertilizers $6 8.75 

Total cost S!254.35 

Another Otsego Statement (by James Ferris) — The 
largest grower in the county failed, though his hops 
sold at an average of 20c; another whose real estate was free 
of mortgage in 1893 failed in '97. Hemlock poles 18 to 25 ft. 
long cost lli/^c, delivered ready for setting, 851 per acre, one 
to each hill 7x7 ft., or $97.86; with proper care, they last 15 
years, annual loss, $6.52. interest at 6 per cent., $5.87, total 
yearly cost of poles $12.39. It is easy to determine cost of 
setting a yard and first year's cultivation. Potatoes or corn, 
potatoes preferably, are planted with hops the first year, 
occupying three-quarters of the ground. As 120 bu. of pota- 
toes to an acre is an average crop, the hops would displace 
just 30 bu. of potatoes per acre, which, at an average price 
of 40c per bu., would have been worth $12. But the seed for 
hops usually costs more, and they receive better care than 
potatoes. Such additional cost is about $2 per acre. The 
average period which a hop yard will last and be produc- 
tively profitable is about six years. So that the average cost 
of planting yards to displace those running out would be 
$2.33 per acre per annum on all hop land harvested. During 
depressed times, only one shovelful of barnyard manure 
is placed in each hill in the autumn, but when prices are 
good, more is used — about eight two-horse loads are used per 
acre, worth $8, and it costs $2 to apply. When pickers are 
plenty, they can usually be hired to pick and board them- 
selves for 40c per box at present (1898), but in this locality 
not half enough pickers can be hired to pick and board 
themselves, The grower is obliged to board them, and go 



254 THE HOP. 

some distance after them, making the average cost of pick- 
ing about 45c per box, and as hops usually cure about 15 
lbs. to the box, this would make the cost of picking 3c per 
lb. Drying can be hired done at %c, the grower finding 
brimstone and fuel, and this is as cheap as he can do it him- 
self if due allowance is made for capital, depreciation and 
insurance of kiln. My figures make the crop of 700 lbs. per 
acre (which is about the average) cost 13i4c per lb., as 
follows: 

Hop poles $12.39, renewing roots $2.33 1S!14.72 

Mamire, and its application I'tOO 

Cleaving up in fall, stacking poles, etc -50 

Setting poles $1.50, grubbing $1 2.50 

Plowing four furrows per row each way from liill 2.50 

Cultivating twice in row botli ways 1.00 

Tying twice $2, twine $4, putting on $1 7.00 

Training and hoeing 4.00 

Winding on twine, lyinc: with ladder 2.00 

Plowing 1o hill $2.50, hilling $1.50, cultivating $1 5.00 

Picking 3c i>er lb. cured hops, box tending and yard bosslc, cn>--- 
tom drving %c, brimstone, fuel, balii.g, marketing i/^c, to- 
tal per '700 lbs 2G.75 

Baling cloth $1.40, insuring crop 42c 1.82 

Rent of land at least 3.00 

Total for 700 lbs. hops, one acre $82.79 

St. LAwr.F.NCE County, N. Y. (S. Hemingway) — Small 
items might be added to make the total below an even 
$110 per acre, or 20c per lb. for 500 lbs. per acre, about lie 
for 1000 lbs., or (allowing for heavier manuring and in- 
creased cost of harvesting and curing) about 7c per 2000 lbs. 
per acre. The kiln, 20x30 ft, cost about $300, on which inter- 
est, $18, depreciation, $20. and insurance, $10, cost $48 
per year, one-fifth of which is charged against one acre. I 
use two poles to each of 680 hills per acre, or 1360 poles per 
acre, costing $68, and allow 10 per cent, for depreciation. 

One-fourth day uncovering hills 35c, two davs setting poles $2.50, 

one day plowing $2.00 .' $4.85 

One day hoeing $1.25, one day tying $1.25, one day trimming $1.25 3.75 

680 lbs. fertilizer 10. to 

Three days' plowing, 2d, 3d and 4th times 6 00 

Three days' hoeing $3.75, two days resetting poles $2.50 n.25 

One-half day's attention weekly for 16 weeks 10.00 

Picking 1,000 lbs. at 3c 30.00 

Two nights' drying at $2 4.00 

One-half day's baling, two men 2.50 

Two days' stacking poles $2.50, one day's cutting and burning 

vines $1.25, one day's covering hills $1.25 5.00 

Total operating expenses $82.75 

Fixed charges : Interest at 6 per cent.on land worth .$50 an acre 

$3, depreciation on poles $10.88, use of kiln $9.60 23.48 

Aggregate expenses per acre $106.23 

FROM NORTHERN OHIO 

Statement of Banner and Hatch of Richland County, Ohio. 

The plant — buildings, tools, boxes, press, etc., for five 

acres cost $245, interest on which is $14.70. As it lasts 20 



EXPENSES AND PROFITS. 



255 



years, 5 per cent, is allowed for depreciation, or $12.25 per 
y<^ar, or $26.95 per annum for use of kiln, of which one-fifth 
is charged to the one acre. One yard lasts about six years 
on our gravelly clay loam, rolling and fairly drained; worth 
$50 per acre, tax 50c. Crop for four years (1893-'97) averaged 
80 boxes, or 960 lbs. per acre; set 7x7 ft., or rearly 750 hills 





Ih 



n n. 



□ 



TJ 



"m 




d 



FIG. 137. HOMEMADE HOP PRESS. 

a. Studs to holil press together; 6, iiianner of supportin? press; c, bottom of press; 
d, finislied press. Four rods of 314 in. iron about 16 ft. lonar are bent, and ends 
welded toffetlier like lara:e chain links. These are passed through the floor 
above the press, where they are supported by sti ong scatitlin,' 4x4. In the 
lower ends place timbers 4x6 as befl pieces, b. The hnttom, r, is made of 2 in. 
planks 2 ft. long, with end strips 3>^ ft. in length. The studs, a, at the sides, 
are of 2x5 in. stuff, mortised into the bottom and held together by a long mor- 
tise at the top. The sides are shown in d. The box may be 5 ft. long inside, 
18 in. wide, and 6 ft. high. 



per acre. First year's expenses are $24 (of which one-sixth 
is charged up annually), and includes 10 loads of manure $5, 
fitting ground $3. roots $1. planting $3, cultivating and hoe- 
ing four times $6, five loads manure to cover hills $2.50, 
interest and taxes $3.50, poles (two to a hill) 1500 per acre, 
cost 2c each delivered, or $30, and being good for six years, 



256 THE HOP. 

cost $5 per year. The annual expenses in the second and 
subsequent years will average as follows: 

Animal ehai'ge on first cost $4.00 

Grubbing, two days' work at $1.50.. 3.00 

Poles $5, and poling Si-^ days $5.75 10.75 

Sharpening poles (40c per 100, good for 3 yrs, $6), one year 2.00 

Plowing botli ways, 1% days at $2 3.00 

Cultivating four times at 75c 3.00 

Hoeing twice, four days, at $1.50 G.OO 

Tying up vines V/2 days at .$1.25 1.87 

Picking 80 boxes hops at 25c 20.00 

Hoard 28 pickers 1G8 meals at 10c 10.80 

Fotir box tenders two days at $1 8.00 

Board box tenders, 24 meals at 10c 2.40 

Put hops on kiln, two kilns at $1 2.00 

Man to dry, two kilns at $1.50 3.00 

Wood 2V2 cords, two kilns at $1.50 3.75 

Brinis(one, two kilns .90 

Baling five bales at ;50c, delivering 50c 2.00 

Sacking $1.25, stacking poles $1.50 2.75 

Total operating expenses $95.22 

Fixed charges : Depreciation $5.93, rent $3, taxes, r)Oc 9.43 

Aggregate (10.8c per lb. for 9G0 lbs.) $104.05 

COST OF HOPS ON THE PACIFIC COAST 

California — Daniel Flint says a hop kiln for 50 acres 
with all things complete will cost $3500 to $4000. High wire 
trellis costs $80 to $90 per acre, 2000 roots $20. and Japanese 
will contract to do for $10.25 per acre all the hand labor 
on the crop until it is ready to harvest. Picking, curing and 
baling costs him $2200 on 64 acres, and $1500 on 40 acres, an 
average of about $35 per acre. 

Oregon, Washington Co. — E. C. Malloy submits a 
statement of a nine-acre hop yard started in 1893 on land 
worth $25 an acre, interest at 10 per cent, taxes 17 mills on 
the dollar. No man are is used, nor hoeing after the first 
season; kiln is 25x25 ft, 20 ft studding, that cost $200, two fur- 
naces and pipes $54. warehouse $125, total on building $379. 
The harvesting equipment, picking and curing the first crop 
cost $51. Plowing, setting out, cultivating and poles for the 
first crop, produced the same year, $281, interest and taxes 
$29. This makes an even $1200 for cost of first crop, or $133 
an acre for a yield averaging 1300 lbs., which would have 
to net lie per lb. to pa-'- all t'^ese expenses and leave the 
yard in good shape. 

For the next crop it cost $1.25 per acre for cleaning up 
yard. $11.25: $12 per acre for setting poles, tying up hops 
and cultivating, $108: harvesting, curing, baling, etc.. $472; 
interest, insurance, taxes, and depreciation on the whole 
outfit, $107. This made the second crop cost $698. or over 
?77 per acre, equal to 6c per lb. on 1300 lbs. per acre. "To 
further show the uncertainties of this business, especially 
in this region, I want to say that instead of getting 11 and 6c 
for those crops. I got 5% and 4c, while many others con- 



EXPENSES AND PROFITS. 25? 

signed their hops on advances of 2 to 2^c per lb. and never 
got another cent." 

Okegox: a Polk Co. Report — For the first plowing 
in spring, one man and two horses will plow four acres 
a day, at $2 per day, which is 50c per acre. One man 
and one horse will cultivate down five acres a day at $1.50 
per day, or 30c per acre. Cross plowing will cost the same 
a-^ first plowing, and cross leveling the same as first culti- 
Drying hops, including wood and sulphur, Ic; pressing in- 
over five acres a day at a cost of 40c per acre; three addi- 
tional cultivatings will cost the same each. Smoothing, or 
clod smashing, both ways, one man and one horse, five acres, 
or ten acres one way, will cost 30c per acre. It takes 12 lbs. 
of 10-ply cotton twine for an acre, at 12c per lb. Putting ou 
twine, one man, five acres one way, costs 40c per acre twined 
both ways. Land is worth $75 an acre, interest 8 per cent., 
taxes $1.50 per acre, repairs and depreciation on tools $1.25. 
Three sprayings will require 18 Ihs. quassia chips $1.08, 36 
lbs. whale-oil soap $1.80, labor $2, repairs 37c, total $5.25. 
This gives us for one acre: 

Cnltivatinp: as nhove SS.fiO 

Hanliiifr 40c, and setting stakes .S2 2.40 

New stakes 81.. "iO, twine and twining .$1.84 3.34 

Hoeing and sin'onting liills 3.00 

Training vines four times fi.OO 

Pinning snrplns vines 2.00 

Cleaning yard in fall 1.2r) 

Interest and taxes 7.90 

Spraying three times 5.25 

Total (about 21/30 per lb. for 1,500 lbs. of cured hops) $34.74 

Picking at 40c per box will cost about 3c per lb., antl 
yard help (including delivering hops at kiln) %c more, 
vating. With disk harrow, one man and two horses will go 
clnding hop cloth, five yards to the bale, at 8c, %c; insur- 
ance, interest and repairs on plant, warehouse storage, etc., 
Ic, making a total of harvesting expenses of SV^c a pound. 
The crop will therefore cost the grower about 8c per lb. 
These figures are not the itemized expenses of any one 
grower in any particular year, but will cover the average 
cost for the last three years (1896-7 ^^ of those who own 
and work their own hop yards. "I do not think tnat anv one 
man's itemized expenses for any one year is a safe basis 
from which to draw conclusions. 3S my hops have not cost 
me exactly the phttip any two years." 

Oti-foox, Yamhill Co.. .T. W. F.— My hop garden contains 
20.37 acre'?, valued at $125 n^r acre. The hills are eight 
feet apart each way, a total of 12.915 hills. The poles 
are fir and cost on the yard two cents apiece, or $258.30. The 
kiln is an octagonalbuildinp^. 28 ft. each way in the clear, with 
storeroom combined 20x24 ft: with furnace, piping and press, 
it cost $910; 150 sacks $30, five measuring boxes of cedar, hold- 

17 



258 



THE HOP. 



ing nine bushels each, $4.50. We use no fertilizer, as to culti- 
vate the ground well is all that is necessary here, the soil 
being of a clayey nature, mixed with a very small amount of 
sand. Hops at this date (Feb. 14, '98) are nearly all sprouted 
or up, now and then one an inch long. My '97 crop was 
16,187 lbs., or an average of 795 lbs. per acre, and cost a 
fraction over 7c per lb., as follows: 

rieanins; np and bxiniing vines $!14.00 

Grubbing $35, setting poles $27, twine $16.90 78.90 

Putting twine on poles $7, training and hoeing $158, plowing $58, 

harrowing $9 232.00 

Rolling $11, reversible disk harrowing $22 33.00 

Spraying 46.00 

I'icliing 1,258 boxes at 40e 503.20 

Yard man during picking 27.00 

Two men to measure hops 39.00 

Man and team to liaul green hops to kiln 28.00 

Two men at kiln 11 davs at $2 each 44.00 

440 yards of baling clo'lh. 37.40 

Baling 88 bales at 20c 17.60 

Twine to sew up bales 2.70 

Kiln cloth $5.10, 600 lbs. sulphur $10, fuel $10 25.10 

Oil for press and lights 2.00 

Two men and teams to draw hops to station 5.50 

Insurance and taxes 34.53 

Total cost 1,169.93 

Balance net profit 934.38 

Total crop sold at 13c per lb 2.104,31 



WASHINGTON, KING COUNTY, 1897 CROP (By Alexander Adair). 



Grubbing $50, setting poles $50 

Tying up vines 

Plowing and cidtivating 

Spraying, three men and horse 10 days. 

Quassia chips, whale-oil soap 

Picking, $1 per box 

Six men eight days at $2 

Insurance on hops and kilns $2,000 

Freight on hops to Seattle 

Hop cloth and sulphur 

Total 

Harvested and sold, lbs 

Sold at 8c per lb 

Loss on crop 



Ten acres. 



$100.00 
25.00 
100.00 
50.00 
36.00 
456.00 
96.00 
55.00 
45.45 
41.00 



$1,004.45 

11,700 

$936.00 

68.45 



One acre. 



$10.00 
2.50 

10.00 
5.00 
3.60 

45.00 
9.60 
5.50 
4.54 
4.10 



$100.44 

1,170 

$93.60 

6.84 



RAISING THE CROP IN THE NORTHWEST. 

British Coh^mhia (Major R. M. Hornby) — Before going 
into hop culture, the novice should realize that it is 
one of the most uncertain of crops, that two good crops, 
three medium and two failures can be reckoned on every 
seven years, both as to yield and value. Only the best hops 
are now wanted. Such require the best land, outfit and 
methods. The cost of starting is large, and for an eight-acre 
yard (yielding 1800 lbs. of cured hops per acre in a favorable 
season) may thus be estimated. 



EXPEI^SES AND PROFITS. 259 



Hop kiln, 24x24 ft., with stove complete $1,250 

Poles, 7 ft. apart, 820 per acre, at $30 per 1,000 177 

1,G40 hop sets per acre, at $3 per 1,000 40 

Marking out yard and planting sets at $5 per acre 40 

100 hop boxes of 15 bu. capacity 100 

Two double-acting spray pumps, with barrels and sleigli 50 

Hop press 165 

Total first cost $1,822 

The annual charges include interest and 15 per cent, 
depreciation on the above items of first cost, together aggre- 
gating $325 a year. Good hop land is worth at least $100 an 
acre, and interest and :axes may be added to the following 
figures. No insurance is included because the rate is too 
high, and proper care is cheaper than to pay insurance. 
Neither do we use manure on our rich lands, on the Pacific 
coast, which saves a large item that eastern and foreign 
hop growers have to pay, and their yield per acre under 
favorable conditions is not as large as ours. When yard 
forms part of farm, horses and implements are not charged 
to initial expenses, because they are part of the farm outfit. 
With this explanation we get the following: 

ANNUAL EXPENSES ON EIGHT-ACRE YARD. 

Depreciation and interest $325 

Setting up poles at $5 per acre 40 

Credit the farm for one man, two horses, with use of imple- 
ments for all horse cultivation and work 250 

Tyings at $3, $1 and 50c per acre 36 

Spraying once $4 (may be $12), say $7 per acre 56 

Pickir.g 1,81 lbs. per acre at $1 per box 504 

Curing and drying 90 

Baling by four men twodays $12, floor and baling cloth, string $30 42 

Cleaning up yard at $2.50, hauling to depot $1 27 

Total annual expenses $1,370 

Profit if all goes well 730 

Receipts for 1,800 lbs. per acre at 15c on eight acres $2,100 

Sometimes the yield is larger, more often less. The 
price is oftener less than more. The above makes an ex- 
pense of about $171 per acre, or about 10c per lb. on a good, 
full crop. But the expense up to harvesting is the same, 
whether the yield is large or small, the quality good or bad. 
With the wide fluctuations in crop results, it is easy to see 
that cost per pound of hops in the bale may easily mean far 
above 10c per lb. and seldom below it. With market prices 
ranging from 5c to 25c. the speculative nature of the indus- 
try is apparent, as many have learned to their sorrow. 



APPEISTDIX 



STATISTICS OF THE HOP TRADE. 



RECEIPTS OF DOMESTIC 


HOPS 


AT NEW YORK (In bales). 




Crop of 


1890. 

8,374 
24,809 
23,411 
6,430 
4,778 
4,114 
5,636 
2,697 
2,789 
3,789 
3,320 
2,989 

93.136 
22,804 

70,332 


1891. 

5,572 

20,200 

27,386 

24,242 

15,775 

8,954 

5,597 

5,842 

2,239 

964 

1,885 

1,767 

120,423 

54,619 


1892. 


1893. 


1894. 

5,180 

26,466 

32,339 

30,088 

21,236 

12,100 

11,340 

7,051 

8,749 

3,282 

3,049 

166,241 

83,749 

~82,492 


1895. 

3,216 

22,086 

36,015 

22,028 

17,495 

15,257 

13,215 

4,644 

3,179 

3,432 

2,515 

1,348 

144,430 
76,506 

67,924 


1896. 


1897. 


Av. 


September.. 

()ctol>er 

November.. 
December . . 

January 

February . .. 

Mareli . ." 

April 

May 


2,926 

14,376 

19,882 

23,302 

13,819 

5,162 

8,361 

6,316 

6,583 

10,119 

9,(!28 

8,664 

129,1.38 
64,205 

64,933 


9,305 

25,399 

31,669 

24,141 

10,595 

7,883 

6,792 

5,418 

5,704 

5,423 

4,629 

4.3.35 


2,778 

16,836 

34,712 

13,930 

7,297 

6,565 

2,911 

2,998 

2,039 

2 222 

1J21 

1,440 

1)5,449 

51,892 

"43^557 


3,388 

15,074 

21,190 

30,626 

25,408 

8,125 

5,802 

3,844 

1,569 

2,195 

1,500 

1,952 

120.673 

87,165 


5,092 

20,656 

28,325 

21,848 

14,550 

8,145 

7,456 

4,826 

4,106 

3,928 

3,819 


June 

July 


AUfTUSt 


3,193 


Tot. rec'ts. 
Exj^ortert . 


141,293 

74,623 

"66,670 


126.348 
64,445 


Dom. use . 


65,804 


33,508 


61,903 



EXPORTS OF HOPS FROM THE PORT OF NEW YORK (In bales). 



Crop of 

September.. 

()ctol>er 

Noveml)er.. 
December . . 

January 

Febriuiry . . . 
3Iareli. ..".... 

A])ril 

]\I;iv 


1890. 

2,086 

7,083 

5,540 

1,271 

698 

1,041 

1,405 

218 

946 

640 

1,474 

402 


1891. 

3,681 

4,748 

16,393 

18,260 

6,376 

2,124 

1,776 

578 

19 

18 

646 

54,619 
70,000 

78 


1892. 

1,007 
8,653 
7,615 
10,697 
12,497 
2,287 
1,357 
4,176 
2,377 
4,672 
5,146 
3,721 

64,205 
64,000 


1893. 

4.223 

6,890 

21,217 

14,028 

10,102 

3,867 

2,578 

2,530 

2,677 

2,713 

2,872 

926 


1894. 

1,218 

7,927 

10,692 

21,970 

13,2(>0 

8,404 

9.183 

4.448 

1,083 

2,964 

1,442 

1,158 


1895. 

800 

7,875 

16,390 

19,858 

9,084 

7,973 

9,094 

2,351 

1,380 

1,319 

237 

145 

76.506 
93.000 


1896. 

513 

8,625 

13,956 

11,326 

5,626 

3,487 

4,956 

856 

357 

947 

844 

399 

51,892 
63,000 


1897. 

""3,010 

3,976 

10,754 

23,459 

26,526 

11,372 

4,554 

948 

785 

1,123 

962 

716 

87,185 
95,000 


Av. 

""2,067 

6,972 

12.794 

15,108 

10,396 

5,069 

4,.S.50 

2,013 

1,028 


June 

July 

August 


1,799 

1,8.54 
1.014 


Tot. N. Y . . 
Tot. U.S... 


22,804 
49,000 

47 


74.623 
97,000 

77 


83,749 
97,000 

87 


t.4,448 
78,000 


% via N. Y. 


100 


82 


82 


91 


85 



AVERAGE MONTHLY PRICE PER POUND 

In cents, of clioice state hops at Ne^v York city. The periods are for 

the years inclusive. 





Sept 
.2.52 


Oct. 
.255 


Nov 

.267 


Dec 

.267 


Jan 


Feb 
.250 


Mar 

.235 


Apr 

.229 


May 

.226 


Jun 
.216 


July 
.21 


Aug 


1874-1896. . . 


.258 


.202 


1874-1878... 


.254 


.251 


.252 


.245 


.2.36 


.224 


.201 


.187 


.186 


.183 


.178 


.18 


1879-1883... 


.346 


.375 


.435 


.459 


.442 


.429 


.416 


.409 


..396 


.367 


.350 


.322 


18^4-1888... 


.250 


.236 


.225 


.210 


.192 


.183 


.175 


.167 


.164 


.170 


.178 


.181 


1889-1893. . . 


.251 


.249 


.247 


.241 


.248 


.248 


.230 


.2.35 


.243 


.234 


.219 


.209 


1894-1896. . . 


.10 


.103 


.117 


.123 


.113 


.108 


.10 


.091 


.09 


.08 


.076 


.07 



261 



262 



THE HOP. 



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MC^lHrHr-ICO(Mli:5C<:C<3r-CC^C^rH(MC^OJ?4(N»-l rH 




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APPENDIX. 



263 



EXPORT TRADE IN AMERICAN HOPS. 

Showing exports of domestic hops from United States each month 
for nine years, also imports and values. In thousands of pounds, last 
three figures (OOO's) omitted. Tlie season 1895-G was a period of low 
prices throngliont. Total exports were 16,765,000 lbs., imports 2,772,000 
lbs., average export price 8.8 cents, import price 21.6 cents. Prices at 
New York ranged at 7 to IOV2 cents. 



Crop year. 

July 

August 

September 

October 

November 

December 

January 

February 

March . .'. 

April 

May 

June 

Total exp's,12 m. 
Total imp's, " 
Re-exporis, " 
Net imports. " 
Bond June 30 . .. 
Total val.im'ps. 
Total val. exp's. 



1897-8 


1896-7 


1894-5 


1893-4 


1892-3 


1891-2 


1890-1: 


209 


167 


416 


1,113 


15 


268 


151 


275 


116 


346 


635 


141 


127 


510 


568 


194 


260 


1,008 


48 


506 


1,220 


609 


1,811 


1,412 


1,338 


1.484 


1,260 


2,388 


2..354 


2,771 


2,300 


4,108 


2,300 


2,596 


2,552 


3,734 


2,216 


3,993 


3,691 


2,267 


4,923 


545 


5,371 


1,445 


2,831 


1,931 


1,577 


1,966 


496 


1,803 


974 


2,030 


963 


894 


501 


210 


1,387 


996 


1,811 


699 


.".69 


315 


292 


371 


331 


895 


838 


753 


116 


125 


237 


138 


547 


544 


418 


16 


144 


242 


268 


682 


603 


1,098 


11 


102 


17,162 


11,425 


17,523 


17,473 


11,367 


12,605 


8,736 


2,576 


3,018 


3,134 


828 


2,691 


2,506 


4,020 


37 


57 


93 


135 


85 


176 


223 


2,539 


2,961 


3,041 


693 


2,605 


2,330 


3,797 


25 


8 


154 


139 


168 


222 


280 


$648 


630 


600 


3,844 


2,690 


2,421 


2,327 


$2,643 


1,305 


1,873 


484 


1,085 


884 


1,797 



1889-90 

55 

37 

78 

1,541 

1,289 

2,686 

860 

390 

262 

167 

69 

107 

7,541 

6,540 

418 

6,121 

2&1 

1,111 

1,052 



EXPORT VALUES FOR MONTHS. IN CENTS PER POUND. 



July 

August 

September . . . . 

October 

November 

December 

January 

February 

March 

April 

May 

June 

Average 

Import val., av 



7.1 
10.1 
11.4 
15.5 
.15.8 
16.4 
15.6 
16.2 
13.9 
15.0 
13.9 
14.8 
13.8 
25.1 



7.7 


13.9 


20.7 


20.0 


27.2 


21.2 


6.3 


13.5 


23.2 


22.6 


22.8 


18.2 


8.0 


11.5 


25.2 


22.9 


19.3 


28.9 


8.6 


9.0 


21.2 


24.6 


16.9 


24.2 


10.9 


11.6 


23.0 


24.8 


18.0 


27.7 


14.3 


11.2 


22.4 


24.7 


18.9 


20.7 


12.5 


10.4 


22.4 


23.4 


18.2 


33.8 


12.7 


10.5 


21.3 


23.1 


24.1 


36.6 


10.7 


10.8 


21.2 


23.0 


21.5 


32.1 


11.2 


8.8 


19.0 


20.8 


26.7 


30.4 


11.3 


9.6 


18.6 


22.3 


21.1 


33.3 


9.3 


7.3 


16.5 


22.4 


22.3 


30.3 


10.2 


10.6 


21.9 


23.7 


19.2 


28.1 


20.8 


19.1 


58.4 


40.3 


35.2 


44.7 



20.0 
18.8 
15.3 
13.8 
13.7 
11.1 
14.5 
14.1 
19.4 
16.7 
17.3 
20.5 
14.7 
16.1 



COURSE OF PRICES AT NEW YORK CITY FOR CHOICE STATE HOPS. 



Sept.. 
Oct . . . 
Nov .. 
Dec... 
Jan. .. 
Feb. . . 
March 
April. 
May . . 
June . 
July.. 
Aug . . 



1897-8 


1896-7 


1894-5 


1893-4 


1892-3 


8^al4 


ShralO 


9 (dV> 


22 (a 24 


20 (525 


13 rttl7 


9 @11 


9 (all 


21 fa 24 


22^(525 


16 ^18 


lOialS 


10 (a 13 


22 «23 


22^ia25 


17 fdlS 


14 (a 16 


11 (aV2\ 


211 a 23 


23 (524 


18 (5)20 


14 (a 15 


10Jal2 


•2na22h 


23 ^24 


18 (ffil9 


IShaU 


10 fall 


21 a23 


23 ,a25 


17 fal9 


ll^al3 


10 (all 


18 (a 21 


21 ra23 


16h(aiW 


10 (alH 


9 (»10 


18 (a 19 


21 (a21^ 


15i(al6i 


10 (alO^ 


8 (alO 


16 (a 18 


20^ra22 


15 «16i 


9 (a 10 


8 @ 9 


14 (a 16 


21 ^22^ 


12i@14^ 


9 (alO 


8 (a 9 


12 @U 


21 (a22 


lli®12i 


9 (alO 


7 (glO 


10 @12 


21 (§22 



15 (a 

16 @ 

19 a 

20 (a 

21 (a 

25 ra 
24 a 

26 (a 
28 @ 
24 Cd 
24 @ 
24i(ffi 



18 23 
17 43 
2135 
22 32 

28 32 
27 33 
25; 28 
32 27 
30 29 

29 30 
26 22 
27 1 17 



fa 28 
(547 
547 
(a 45 
Ca38 
ra 36 
(aSl 
(532 
(a 32 
(532 
Ca28 
@20 



14 (§16 
11 §13 
11 (514 
13 (al4i 
13 (516 

13 (520 

14 rtt20 
16 (§18 
18 (§20 
20 (§22 

20 (§23 

21 (§28 



2(54 



THE HOP. 



HOP CROP OF THE WORLD. 



Crop of 


rtl897 

310 

99 

38 

256 


1896 

353 

136 

43 

281 

813 
175 


1895 

368 

95 

42 

343 

848 
292 

1140 


1894 

404 

109 

38 

395 


1893 

130 

74 

33 

257 

494 

268 


1892 

300 
79 
44 

257 

680 
223 

903 


1891 


1890 


rjermany 
Austria . . 
France. .. 
England . 


269 
72 
36 

272 


164 
65 
54 

176 


Total. .. 
U. S 


703 
200 

903 


946 

320 

1266 


649 

208 

857 


459 
205 


Aggre'ate 


988 


762 


664 



a American Aqriculturist's preliminary estimate. This journal is an 
aeeepted authority on America's liop crop, but It frankly admits that 
this crop is one of the most difficult to re})ort upon for obvions reasons. 
The figures of each cx'op are subject to final revision at the close 
of each year when data are available of the interior and foreign 
movement. 

HOP CROPS AND PRICES. 

This table shows, for many years, the bales of hops produced each 
season in the United States and in Enrope (including England), the 
total constituting about 95% of the world's supply. It also gives the 
number of b.iles of each crop exported from the Unitetl States, and 
the imports of foreign hops into the United States, with average yearly 
United States expi>rt prices and Hamburg import values. 



In 


lionsands of bales of 180 lbs. net. 




Av. cts 
aU. S. 


per lb. 


c Crop of 


U. S. 


Enrope 


Total 


U. S. 


U. S. 


6Ham- 


crop. 


crop. 


crop. 


exi)orts 


imports 


burg. 


1897 


200 


695 


895 


95 


14 


13.8 




1896 


175 


813 


988 


63 


17 


10.2 




1895 


292 


848 


1,140 


93 


15 


8.8 




1894 


320 


946 


1,266 


97 


17 


10.7 




1893 


268 


494 


762 


97 


5 


22.0 




1892 


223 


680 


903 


63 


15 


23.7 




1891 


208 


649 


815 


70 


13 


19.3 


26 


1890 


205 


4.59 


661 


49 


21 


26.6 


26 


1889 


218 


717 


935 


42 


36 


29.0 


20 


1888 








69 


31 


22.4 


21 


1887 








39 


28 


17.4 


19 


1886 








1 


103 


21.0 


21 


1885 








76 


15 


12.5 


24 


1884 








35 


9 


19.7 


33 


1883 








75 


4 


24.1 


50 


1882 


125 


387 


512 


43 


12 


71.8 


40 


1879 


'j5 


379 


474 


54 




26.3 


26 


1874 


110 


428 


538 


17 




41.9 


41 


A v. '81-90 


193 


746 


939 






H50.1 


L 19 


'85-89 


190 


773 


963 






H20.7 


L19 


'81-85 


196 


720 


916 






H50.1 


L25 


'76-80 


152 


647 


799 






H30.0 


L21 



a Average annual export value (in cents per lb.) of hops shipped 
from the United States. 6 Average annual value (in cents per lb.) of 
all hops imported into Hamburg, Germany. H, Highest average an- 
nual import value of hops imported into Hamburg, during the period 
noted; L, lowest, c Observe that the year given is that in which the 
crop was produced. 

Hops consumed per bbl. of beer: United States, 1 to IV4 lbs.; Eng- 
land, IV2 to 2V2 lbs. ;Germany and elsewhere, % to 1V2- A barrel of beer, 
U. S., contains .32 imperial gallons, or 31 gallons net. 

Gross weight of a bale of hops: United States, 185 lbs., legal tare 
5 lbs., actual tare 7 to 9 lbs. ; foreign hops imported into United States, 
350 to 600 lbs. per bale, averaging 430 lbs., with a tare of 14 lbs. 



APPENDIX. 



265 



ACREAGE IN HOPS (so far as ascertainable). 



England 

France 

Germany 

Austria.! 

Total Europe... 

New York 

Washington 

Oregon 

California 

Total United Sts 
World's aggregate. 



1897 

50,863 

6,122 

98,767 

35,108 

190.86(» 


1896 


1895 


1894 
59,535 
7,204 
104,241 

38,048 
209,088 

30,177 

10,000 

15,000 

8,600 


54,207 

6,428 

101,709 

36,431 

198,785 

22,190 

4,500 

12,0(»0 

7.200 


58,940 

7,939 

103,923 

3!),765 
•-'10,567 

26,238 
5,700 

16,500 
8,500 


19,730 
3,000 
9,000 
6,000 

37,735 
228,595 


45,890 


56,938 
267,505 


ii.i,777 


244,675 


•J72,865l 



1893 


1892 


57,564 

6,921 

103,901 

37,626 


56,259 

6,728 

107,282 

36,857 


206,012 


207,126 



1891 



56,142 

6,592 

107,791 

36,679 



i07,204 



32,300 
9,000 

10,000 
8,000 



33,100 
8,000 
6,000 
7,000 



59,3001 54,100 



34,000 
6,101 
3,900 
5,340 



49,941 



i65,3l2l261,226i257,145 



181M 

"53,961 

6,968 

110,681 

38,708 



210.318 



35,000 
4,.J38 
2.620 
4,015 



45,973 
2.56,291 

Yield per acre kiln-cured packed hops : Eui'o]ie, 400 to 750 lbs., s.ny 
500 lbs. in good year; England, 905 lbs. in '97, 936 lbs. in '94 and 888 lbs. 
as the official average for t lie yeiirs 1886-95; New \''ork, 400 to 1,200 lbs., 
say 900 lbs. ; Pacific coast, 600 to 2,000 !l>s., say 1,200 as a fair average in 
a good year. Germany's ten-year aveiage is 510 ll)s. per acre, largest 
crop averaged 730 lbs. per acre in 1894, lowest 260 lbs. per acre in 1893. 



COMPAKATIVE RANK OF UNIIED STATES HOP SECTIONS, 
ING TO THE CENSUS OF 1890. 



ACCORD- 



Rank. 


Counties. 


Slate. 


Acres. 


Total crop. 

Lbs. 


Per acre. 

Lbs. 


1 


Otsego 


New York 


7,749 


4,698,687 


606 


2 


Madison 


New Yorlc 


6,956 


4,094,440 


589 


3 


Oneida 


New York 


6,002 


3,704.341 


617 


4 


Pierce 


Washington 


2,191 


3,699,671 


1.689 


5 


King 


Wasiiington 


1,708 


3,238,075 


1,831 


6 


Schoharie 


\ew Yorlc 


5,563 


3,148,885 


566 


7 


Sacramento 


California 


963 


2,1.34.r,06 


2,217 


8 


Sonoma 


California 


1,046 


1,26;; 610 


1,208 


9 


Marion 


)regon 


974 


1,169,()57 


1,201 


10 


Franklin 


Vew York 


2,930 


1,106,123 


378 



UNITED STATES CENSUS OF HOP CROPS IN POUNDS. 





1890. 


1880. 


1870. 


1860. 


1850. 


New York . . . 


20,063,029 


21,628,931 


17,558,681 


9,671,931 


2,536,299 


AVashington. 


8,313,280 


703,277 


6,962 


44 





California... 


6.547,3.38 


1,444,077 


625,0(;4 


80 





Oregon... .. 


3,613,726 


244,371 


9,745 


493 


8 


Wisconsin. .. 


428,547 


1,966,827 


4,630,1,55 


135,587 


15,9.30 


Other 


205,350 
39,171,270 


558,895 
26.54r>,378 


2,626,062 
25,456,669 


1,183.861 
10,991,996 


944,792 


Total 


3,497,029 



UNITED STATES CENSUS OF ACREAGE AND VALUES. 



States. 


Acreage. 


Values. 




1890. 

35,552 

5,282 

3,796 

3,223 

871 

238 


1889. 

36,670 

5,113 

3,974 

3,130 

967 

358 


1879. 


1890, 


1889. 


New York . .. 
Washington. 
California. . . 

Oregon 

Wisconsin . .. 
Other states. 


39,072 
534 

1,119 
304 

4,439 
332 


f6,068,163 

2,284,955 

1,521,847 

1,047,224 

142,198 

41,037 


$2,210,137 

841,206 

605,842 

322,700 

51.983 

27,829 


U. S 


48,962 


50,212 


46,800 


$11,105,424 


$4,059,697 



266 



THE HOP. 



GERMANY'S FOREIGN TRADE IN 
HOPS. 

In bales, 180 pounds net. 



Crop of 


Exp'iMs. 


1896 


111,495 


1895 


135,613 


1894 


41,746 


1893 


118,516 


1892 


118,020 


1891 


124,778 


1890 


208,999 


1889 


127,100 


1888 


144,197 


1887 


226,010 


1886 


167,880 


1885 


159,322 


1884 


93,497 


1883 


21,864 


Av. 


129,327 



Imp'rts, 



39,103 
22,647 
50,615 
20,803 
24,729 
14,970 
22,747 
13,095 
15,153 
13,975 
19,439 
13.646 
19,445 
7,258 



19.65() 



Net exp't 



72,392 

112,922 

a 38,869 

97,713 

93,219 

109,808 

186,252 

114,005 

124,044 

212,035 

148,441 

145,676 

74,052 

14,606 



109,993 



a Net import. 

GREAT BRITAIN'S IMPORTS OF HOPS 
BY YEARS. (BALES.) 



Cal 


From 


To- 


Value 


Value 


yi- 


U. S. 


tal. 


U.S. 


Other. 


1896 


76 


129 


14c 


12c 


1895 


95 


130 


15c 


13c 


1894 


68 


118 


20c 


18c 


1893 


88 


127 


26c 


24c 


1892 


50 


117 


24c 


22c 


1891 


50 


121 


23c 


22c 


1890 


45 


117 


22c 


20c 


1889 


48 


125 


15c 


15c 


1888 


56 


135 


17c 


16c 



14c 
16c 
21c 
30c 
31c 
35c 
35c 
21c 



IMPORTS, EXPORTS AND TOTAL 
SUPPLY IN GREAT BRITAIN. 

(Tliousancis of bales, 180 lbs. net.) 



1897 
1896 
1895 
1894 
1893 
1892 
1891 
1890 
Av'90-5 
1889 



Ex- 


Im- 


Net 


Eiig'li 


p'ls. 


p'ts. 


Im't 


crop. 


256 


7 


129 


122 


257 


8 


135 


127 


344 


13 


118 


105 


396 


11 


127 


116 


258 


7 


117 


110 


257 


6 


122 


116 


272 


8 


117 


109 


177 


9 


123 


114 


284 


11 


124 


113 





Tot. 

snp'y 

380 
471 

501 
374 

367 
388 
286 
398 



IT. S. FOREIGN TRADE, SUPPLY 
AND CONSUMPTION, a 



Crop 


Ex- 


Net 


Im- 


Total 


of 


p'ts. 
63 


sup'ly 
112 


p'ts. 
17 


sup'ly 
129 


1896 


1895 


93 


199 


15 


214 


1894 


97 


223 


17 


240 


1893 


97 


171 


5 


176 


1892 


63 


170 


15 


175 


1891 


70 


138 


13 


151 


1890 


49 


143 


21 


164 



Con*. 

~177 
184 
184 
171 
178 
164 

1^ 
*ConsumpMon at 1 lb. of luTjis lo 
abl)l.of beer, a In thousands of 
bales. 
ENGLISH HOP CROPS COMPARED. 



Crop 
of 



1897 
1896 
1895 
1894 



In thousands 
bales, 180 lbs. 
Kent 



153 
199 
197 
264 



Oth 



103 

83 

147 

132 



Tot 



256 
282 
344 
396 



Av. yearly 

prices, 
cts. per lb. 



Exp' t 



16 
14 
16 
21 



Imp't 



15 
12 
13 
20 



Average import value in 1893 
was 26c per lb.; '92, 24c; '91, 23f ; 
'90, 22c; '89, 15c; and in 1888 it 
was 17c. 
HALF-YEAR'S FOREIGN TRADE, 

Jan. 1 TO JULY 1, IN BALES. 



Great Britain 



Imports 

Exports 

Net. Imp'ts. 

United States 

Exports 

Imports 

Net exv>'ts. . 



1897 



35,206 

3,497 

31,709 

21,554 

8,126 

13,428 



1896 



62,404 
3,016 

59,388 

42,237 

8,507 

33,730 



1895 

65,770 

3,450 

62,324 

48,881 

6,157 

42,734 



U. S. HOP CROPS COMPARED. 

[In thousands bales of 180 lbs. net.] 



Crop 


Faci'c 


N. Y. 


Total 


Av. exp. 


of 


coast. 
135 


state. 


u. s. 

200 


value lb. 


1897 


65 


15.4 c 


1896 


100 


75 


175 


10.2 C 


1895 


182 


110 


292 


8.8 c 


1894 


180 


140 


320 


10.7 c 


1893 


143 


125 


268 


22.0 c. 


1892 


105 


118 


223 


23.7 c 


1891 


94 


114 


208 


19.3 c 


1890 


92 


100 


192 


26.6 c 



A ten-year statement (1883-'92) shows Germany's imports to have 
come, on 'the average, from Austria 90%, from Belgium 3%, from 
France 1%, from Russia 2%, from other countries 4%. Germany's 
exports during tlie period noted averaued : To Austria 6%, to Russia 
2%, to England 6%, to France 13%, to Belgium 11%, to Sweden 2%, to 
the United States (average for 1887-'92) 8%, to other cotmtries 24%. 
Germany's exports to the United States ranged from 7,500 cwt. (of 110 
lbs) in 1887 to 46,000 cwt. in the trade year ended Aug. 31, 1890. 



APPENDIX. 



267 



world's production and consumption of hops 

For lSSi-'S6, from the Deutschen Hopfenbati J^ereiu, which gave it wp 
1889 as unreliable. From 1887-'96, tioni the Vienna Brewers' Journal. 
[In metric hundredweight of 110 lbs.] 



in 





World's 


World's 




consumpt'n. 


production. 


1884 




1,604,400 


1885 


1,549,000 


1,888,550 


1886 


1,655.000 


1,846,810 


1887 


1,698,021) 


1 ,607.000 


1888 


1,615,000 


1,569,200 


1889 


1,606,486 


1,967,250 


1890 


1,546,915 


1,096,000 


1891 


1,566,642 


1,456,440 


1892 


1,592,311 


1,527,715 





World's 
consumpt'n. 

1,669,791 
1,725,762 
1,744,439 
1,923,756 


World's 
production. 


1893 
1894 
1895 
1896 


1,481,300 
2,205,510 
2,012,155 
1,994,370 


Tollcwt 

Av. 

A V bales 
180 lbs 


19,893,128 
1,657,760 

1,013,075 


22,256,700 
1,712,054 

1,046,255 



BEER PRODUCTION. 

United States data are official. Returns for the world are from 

Brewers' Journal, Vienna. 

[In millions of barrels of 31 gallons.] 



Year. 


U. S. 


World. 


YEAR. 
1891 


U. S. 


World. 


1865 


4 




30 


167 


1870 


7 




1892 


32 


172 


1880 


13 




1893 


35 


173 


1885 


19 




1894 


33 


175 


1887 


23 


147 


1895 


33 


179 


1888 


25 


145 


1896 


35 


197 


1889 


25 


148 


1897 


34 


200 


1890 


28 


166 









RELATIVE CONSUMPTION OF BEERS AND OTHER LIQUORS. 

E. Struve, in Wochenschrift fiir Brauerei, Berlin, 1896, esti- 
mates that the wine consumed in France, Germany, Switzerland and 
Belgium contains 6% of aU-oliol, against 7% in Austria, Holland, 
Denmark, Sweden and Norway, and 8% in Great Britain, Russia and 
the United States. For the beer consumed an average proportion of 
4% alcohol was adopted, and for spirituous liquors 33.3%. The table is 
based on official returns and shows the annual consumption per 
capita for 1895. 

In liters (1 liter equals 2.113 pints U. S., or just about 1 quart). 



Country. 



Belgium 

France 

Denmark 

Germany 

Great Britain 

Switzerland 

Austria-Hungary, 

Holland 

Russia 

Norway 

United States 

Sweden 



Wine. 



3.7 

103.0 

1.0 

5.7 

1.7 

55.0 

22.1 

2.6 

3.3 

1.0 

1.8 

0.4 



Beer. 



169.2 

22.4 

33.3 

106.8 

145.0 

37.5 

35.0 

29.0 

4.7 

15.3 

47.0 

11.0 



Spirits 



14.1 

12.4 

26.7 

13.2 

8.4 

9.3 

12.4 

14.1 

14.1 

12.0 

7.7 

4.8 



Alcohol consumption. 



Wine. 



0.22 
6.18 
0.07 
0.34 
0.13 
3.30 
1.54 
0.18 
0.26 
0.07 
0.14 
0.03 



Beer. 


Spirits 


6.76 


4.7 


0.90 


4.04 


1.33 


8.9 


4.27 


4.4 


5.80 


2.8 


1.50 


3.1 


1.40 


4.15 


1.16 


4.7 


0.19 


4.7 


0.61 


4.0 


1.88 


2.58 


0.44 


1.6 



Total. 



11.68 
11.12 
10.30 
9.01 
8.73 
7.90 
7.09 
6.14 
5.15 
4.68 
4.60 
2.07 



BELGIUM HOP TRADE, 1890. 





Lbs. 


Value. 


Exports 

Imports 


12,111,228 
10,586,895 


$2.443,.546 
2,533,636 


Net exports 


1,524,333 


^ 



208 THE HOP. 



QUOTATIONS ON HOPS 

In America, are in cents per lb. avoirdui^ois. In England, are in 
ponnds and shillines per cwt. of 11'2 lbs. In Germany, are in marks 
per metric cwt. of ilO lbs. Reckoning one mark as eqnal to '23.8c, and 
£1 (one i)onnd sterling) at ijf-l.SG, the following tables show the equiv- 
alent of foreign qnotations in U. S. enrrency per lb. 

German Marks per 110 lbs. eqnal U. S. cents per lb. 
5]M=1.0Sc 35M=7.59c 50 M=10.81c 80M=17.30c 

10 ]M=*J.lGc 38 M=8.'22c 51 M=ll.G8c 90 Mzrl9.4Tc 

20 M=4.32c 40 M=8.05c 60 ]M=12.98o 95 Mi=20.55c 

25 M=5.40c 42 M=9.08c 68 M=14.70c 100 M=:21.G3c 

30 M=6.49c 45 M=9.73c 70 M=15.14c 

English pounds and shillings per 112 lbs. ec[ual U. S. cents per lb. 
1£ =4.33c 1£ 8s=5.59c 1£ 18s= 8.18c 5£=:21.65c 

1£ ls=4.54c 1£ 10s=6.49c 2£ = 8.660 6£zz25.98c 

1£ 2s=4.75c 1£ 12s=i6.90c 3£ =12.99c 7£=30.31c 

1£ 3s=r4.91c 1£ 14s=7.33c 4£ =17.32c 8£=34.64c 

1£ 5s=5.40c 1£ 15s=7.57c 

The German Hop Growers' Association 

Is quite an effective institution, under the presidency of Herr Von 
Sodcn with Mr. A. Fairth as vice president. Its prime object is the 
obtaining of crop reports from its branch associations and local 
members, as well as the dissemination of information of general 
Interest to planters. Its official organ is Deutschen Hopfenbau-Verein, 
edited by Mr. Fairth, to whom we are indebted for numerous courte- 
sies The branch organizations of this association, with the director 
of each and his post-office address, are as follows : 

BAVARIA--Spalt and Spalterland, director Landrath Herkenschlager, 
Hauslach bei Georgenogmund ; Hersbruckerland, director T. von 
Soden,Vorra; Neustadt, director Steward Sorg, Newstadt on the 
A; Oberbayern, director Mayor of Aichbichlerland and Delegate 
Imperial Diet, Wolnzach; Niederbayern, director G. Zieglmeier, 
Katzenhofen ; Kindiiig, director Ihirgomasier Zaigler, Kinding. 
"WUKTEMBERG -- Neckar, director Verwalter Distlen, Flemmingen; 
Schwarzwalkdkreis, director City Counsel Edelmann, Rotten- 
burg on N; Donankreis, director Delegate of Diet Bueble, 
Tetlnang. 
BADEN'-Director Burgomaster Mechling, Schwetzinger. 
East and West rKUSsiA--Direclor AViepkingin, Tathannen. 

The bulk of the trade in hops in Germany is concentrated at Nu- 
remberg, but every large town has trade chambers, at which there is 
some buying of hops. 

The principal market places for Austrian hops are Saaz, Auscha 
and Danba. In Alsace, Hagnenan is the most important hop center; 
Frankfort-on-the-Main, Mayence-Mannheim are also important cen- 
ters of great hop denlers, bu't not for the sale of hops by growers. For 
Baden, the hop center is Schwetzinger. In Belgium, Alost and rojier- 
inghe are the chief centers, but the dealers also meet regularly at the 
exchanges in Brussels and Antwerp, Mhere large transactions are con- 
ducted. In France the most important hop markets are Dijon and 
Luiieville. 



THE HOP DICTIONARY 

Glossary of Technical Terms Pertaining to Hops 

and the Hop Trade, Including Hints on 

Curing and Other Practical Points 



By N. K. WAIvTTKR 

GROWERS who have not good equipment (facilities in one 
locality may not suffice in another) and cannot get an experi- 
enced and good dryer, should never contract their hops because 

CURING is difficult; the variety, nature, development of the 
hop, and climatic and weather conditions playing an important 
part. Each season they may differ, and often each day, and 
even picking (morning and afternoon) must be differently ma- 
nipulated. Proper knowledge of drying takes years to acquire 
and cannot be learned in several seasons. 

HARVESTING, HANDLING, CONDITION— Hops should be 
well cultivated and cared for, be of good, bright, even color, well 
matured but not over-ripe, cleanly picked and properly cured; 
put up in sound condition and merchantable shape, in new mate- 
rial and in correct and uniform bales. 

CONTRACTS call for choice goods, unless distinctly other- 
wise specified; that is, an excellent article and only the best 
grade. Usage has established that all contracts — purchases and 
sales — are made "severally as to bales," and there is no averag- 
ing to grade or sample, each bale stands on its own merits. 
There is no averaging' to a grade or sample, because buyers 
often have absolutely no outlet for anything below the standard 
bought on, and further, that below certain grades there is often 
positively no market, and it is therefore impossible at times to 
estimate the value of inferior goods. 

INSPECTION— Buyer has the right of accepting each and 
every bale equal to purchase, and the privilege of rejecting all 
that class below. Changes in quality, due to difference in bulk, 
wrapping, storage and general outward surroundings and con- 
ditions, may take place in a few hours, and therefore samples 
may not represent the distinct bales from which they were 
taken. Example: A sample taken from hops, newly baled in 
slack condition, wrapped in paper and mailed, might dry out, 
and reach intending purchaser entirely changed, whereas a re- 
drawn (a fresh sample) or a tryer sample, from the same bale, 
would show such slackness and would therefore be reason to 
reject. In other words, the identical bale, the original sample 
from which reached the buyer with every indication of sound- 
ness, would, due to large bulk, depending upon storage condi- 
tions largely, either heat or sour. 

For the reason cited in foregoing example and other changes 
that might occur, it is an accepted fact that samples, as a rule, 
are unreliable as an indication of the condition (and therefore 

269 



270 THE HOP. 

quality) of a hop in bale, except at the time they are drawn. 
Changes often talce place so quickly, as already explained, that 
samples are often useless as a guide a few days, and even at 
times a few hours, after they are talcen. 

JUDGMENT— The reason that the inspection by buyer, or his 
expert agent, is, through usage, accepted as final, is because 
there must be some experienced judge to determine whether the 
hops are up to requirements and in sound and proper condition, 
and the buyer, after acceptance, assumes all risks in changes 
that may take place in storage and transit, while seller is 
relieved from all responsibility after he has delivered. 

Experts, through varied experience, can tell the merits and 
defects of a hop, and may be able to attribute the cause of 
shortcomings, though they are rarely hop dryers. 

DISEASE or VERMIN, SPRAYING and WEATHER DAM- 
AGE are always good causes for rejection under contracts. 

STORAGE — Hops, being delicate and sensitive, should have 
clean, good, cool, dry and dark storage — removed from moisture 
and away from anything that emits a decided or strong odor. 

WEIGHTS — Only full pounds count on each bale. Hops lose 
in weight, with age. 

GRADING — ^In the trade there are four divisions made In 
quality: First, choice; second, prime; third, medium, and fourth, 
common to poor. 

QUALITY AND CUASSIFICATION DO NOT CHANGE, 
BUT COMPARATIVE VALUES DO— Examples: A hop grading 
prime remains a prime hop, although in an excited market it 
may command the same price as choice, whereas, in a weak 
market, it is rarely worth more than medium. In years of 
world's shortage, common and poor bring as much as medium. 
In such seasons, there are really only two distinctions in the 
price of brewing hops, choice and prime commanding about the 
same figure, while there is little if any difference between me- 
dium, common and poor. In years of overproduction, choice 
only command top price, prime less, and medium sink to the 
lowest valuation; it is difficult to get a price even on mediums, 
when, of course, common and poor are practically valueless. 
Summing up: Supply and demand regulate values, but do not 
alter quality. 

flOP LAW is principally *'Law Merchant." Most terms and 
expressions in the hop business are purely technical. Rulings 
and decisions governing quality, condition, samples, inspection, 
etc., in cases covering other kinds of crops, will not necessarily 
apply to hops, because of their very nature, which is so different 
and distinct from other products. The customs controlling the 
tender, delivery, inspection, rejection, replacing and acceptance, 
are well established, and therefore controlled by trade usages, 
that is "Law Merchant.' 

THE HOP GLOSSARY 

ACRE— A hop acre is sometimes figured, regardless of land 
j-urface; at 1000 hills, or plant centers, as an acre, but unless so 
qualified means statute acre. 

AGING— Becoming old; or taking on the properties of former 
jears' growths. Losing in brewing virtue. 

AIRING— Permitting a free circulation of air between the 
bales or through the hops. When found slackish, the bales are 
separated "on end," to retard damage that would be promoted 
by close piling. The bales are sometimes opened at the side 
seams, and the hops loosened and holes made through them, to 
permit access of air, thus to prevent or arrest heating. Often 
the bales are torn apart and the hops opened out and spread on 
the cooling and kiln floors, to permit free exposure to the air. 
These should really be subjected to re-drying. Hops that require 
airing are generally sour, and therefore poor. The injury to 



APPENDIX. 271 



value naturally depends upon the degree of resultant damage 
to quality and market conditions. 

ALL FAULTS— The English term for "as is." 

AS IS— Without privilege of rejection. A condition at times 
imposed on sales of lots containing damaged hops, or including 
injured and unmerchantable bales or a mixed lot. 

BABY BALE— A single, small, "lightweight" in an other- 
wise standard weight lot. 

BABY HOPS— See young hops. 

BAD COLOR— See off color. 

BAKED— Harsh and rough, with brewing quality damaged 
through improper ventilation and circulation of air in kilns dur- 
ing drying process. 

BALES— The packages of hops as they are marketed. These 
must be of regulation shape and requirements. See baling; also 
weight. 

BALING AND DIMENSIONS— Size varies somewhat, 
but the hop presses generally in use are the recognized stand- 
ards. The baling must be properly done, neat and clean, with 
new material and well sewed. See weight. 

BALINGS— See pickings. 

BASKETS— Small baskets used in gathering hops. 

BATCH — A single kiln flooring of hops. 

BERRY OR STROBILE— The hop. The catkins. Infrequently 
called buds (not burrs). 

BIN — The cooling room, or the divisions of a cooling room, 
which is sometimes partitioned off into compartments, to keep 
qualities (pickings, color and curings) separate for proper bal- 
ing. A name also given to a burlap bottomed framework into 
which green hops are picked. 

BINSMAN— In England, the person in charge of a gang, who 
also pulls poles and assists measuring and loading wagons. See 
field boss: also poleman. 

BliACK— A name sometimes given to heated hops. 

BLEACHING— The sulphuring. The term bleached is applied 
to hops that are naturally whitish, or those that have lost too 
much color from improper sulphuring. See sulphuring. 

BLIGHTED— Diseased. 

BOLD— Rather large and prominently flaky hops, that are 
serviceable but not silky. 

BOARDS— A term used in England for the shelves or tables 
on which the hop samples are shown. 

BOARDY— Hops hard pressed and wanting in life; not 
springy in bale. 

BOOKER— In England, the person who follows the measurer 
and enters proper credits or gives tickets to each picker for 
work done. 

BOXES— Boxes in which the picked hops are taken to the 
kilns. 

BOX MAN— See foreman. 

BRACTS— See petals. 

BREAD Y— The aroma of warm, newly baked bread. An 
indication of over-drying. See over-drying. 

BRIGHT— Brilliant and even in color. 

BROKEN— The berries parted, the petals largely loose and 
showing few whole berries, resulting from too much drying, 
untimely or improper baling. See al~o hard pressed; also shelly, 
powdered and chaffy. 

BL^DDING— A reprehensible method of throwing selected 
whole berries on the face of samples. 

BUDS— See catkins: also berry. 

BULK SAMPLES— A big representative line of samples 
from a lot. 

BURNT— See roasted. 

BLTRR — The burr or real bud— the undeveloped hop in its 
early stages of formation, before the petals form. 



272 THE HOP 



BUTTERY-See oily. 

BUTTONY— Full berried. See flaky. 

BUYING AND SELLING— The purchase and sale of hops, 
which is always according- to grade or sample. Unless otherwise 
distinctly agreed, the transactions are subject to usual customs. 

CABBAGY— The cut edge of a sample resembling a cut sec- 
tion of a cabbage. Also called streaky. 

CAKED— Brick-like, lumpy (the berries sticking together in 
bale and lifeless). Indicates slackness. See also cold. 

CARLOAD— Unless otherwise qualified, means sixty regula- 
tion bales. See bales, baling, weights. 

CARPELS— See petals. 

CARPET— See kiln cloth. 

CASING Cor going through case in curing) — This is a reac- 
tionary sweating that takes place in the cooling room, promot- 
ing njellowness or silkiness, sometimes named the "second 
sweat," calling the "reek" the first sweat. 

CATKINS OR BUDS— See berry; for buds, see also burr. 

CHAFFY — Broken and brittle, powdery; also called mashy. 

CHEESY— The name sometimes given to the rancid odor of 
hops that are aging. See aging. 

CHIPPY— See cold; also harsh. 

CHOICE HOP— One that shows the entire bale to be of 
a g"ood, bright, even color, flaky (whole berries), cleanly picked, 
silky, rich in lupulin, g^ood flavor and properly cured and baled. 
See quality. 

CLAMMY— A cold, moist, sticky condition, indicating slack- 
ness. See slack. 

CLASSIFY — To grade samples. See grading. 

CLEAN— Refers to picking. Free of leaves and stems and all 
foreign matter. Properly picked. 

CLOTH— See hop cloth; also kiln cloth. 

COARSE — Full berries, wanting in silkiness. 

COLD — Clammy, slackish and usually immature. Also applied 
to a hop that has soured. If the hops do not heat, but simply 
sour in bale, then the berries will be hard and slightly caked, 
or what may be termed chippy. See souring. 

COMMON HOP— One that shows either flaky berries, or, 
if broken (not powdered), fair brewing quality. It may be 
somewhat poor in color and general conditions, but must be 
sound and put up properly. See quality. 

COMPLEXION— Color and sghtliness, particularly as to 
luster. 

CONDITION— The name sometimes given to lupulin. Brew- 
ing virtue. Further, it refers to curing- and marketable manner 
of baling. 

CONES— The hops. See berry. 

CONTRACTING— The engaging ahead of production. The 
selling and buving of "future" crops. See buying and selling. 

COOKED— See stewed. 

COOLING ROOM— The room or 1>uilding in which the hops, 
after being taken from the kilns, undergo the completion of the 
curing process. 

COPPER HOPS— Hops for the brewing kettles. Generally 
applied to those hops used for boiling, but not particularly 
adapted to flavoring in the vats, or for hopping. 

CORE OR HOP STEM— The strig. The axis of the strobile 
In contradistinction to the vine sterns. See stems. 

CROSS GRAINED— Diagonally packed, through tramping, 
or the "follower" of the press not working evenly. See curly. 

CRTTSTED— Hardening of the outward portions of the bale 
next to the cloth, caused by damp storage, and causing- caking, 
discoloring and a musty flavor. 

CULLS OR CULLING— Bales rejected upon inspection. 



APPE]S"DIX. 273 



CURING— The process of drying hops on the kilns, together 
with their management in the cooling rooms. See drying; also 
curing guides, and casing. 

CUKING GL IDES— There are no positive rules to regulate 
the drying of hops. Each flooring may require different manip- 
ulation, and this requires stu'dy. aptitude and years of practical 
experience, because seasons differ. The following pomts, how- 
ever, are es.sential. LOW HEAT. GOOD DRAFTS, PROPER 
SULPHURING, and to complete the curing, intelligent manage- 
ment in the cooling room. See drying; also casmg. 

CURLY— Applied to a flaky hop when cross-grained. 

CUT— The cut Side of a sample. 

DEAD, Dl'LL OR J^EADY— Wanting in color, grayish and of 
a lifeless character. 

DELICATE— Tender in texture and of fine flavor. 

DIMENSIONS— See baling. 

DIRTY— Refers to picking, and is applied to samples that 
contain either or both leaves and stems. That is, that the hops 
were uncleanly, not properly picked. 

DISEASED— A choice hop must be absolutely sound. The 
slightest touch of disease of any kind prevents a hop being 
classed choice. Even to be classed prime, there cannot be more 
than the slightest trace of disease present. A medium hop can 
only contain very little mold; where mold abounds, the hop can- 
not be better than common and is rarely classed above poor. In 
seasons where disease is isolated, and the world's crop lairly 
abundant, then sound hops only are marketable, and thosp 
unfortunates in the infected districts can claim no standing 
for such of their crop that shows disease. It is worthless in 
a commercial sense, and no buyer takes the product unless 
bought on sample. See quality. 

DOUBLE BALE— The compression of two bales into one 
package. See repacking.*; 

DRIFTS— The different blocks or portions of a field of hops 
allotted to separate sets, companies, gang, division or section of 
pickers. 

DRYER— The man who dries the hops, supposed to be an 
adept at curing. 

DRYING— That portion of the curing process that takes 
place in the kilns. 

DULL— See dead. 

EARLY Id OPS— Early varieties, or early ripening hops. 

EDGE — The cut side of samples. Also those parts of a bale 
where any tv. o surfaces meet. Sometimes applied to the front 
of the bale; which is properly called the face. 

ENDS— I'hose parts of a bale making top or head surfaces. 

EXAMINATION— The examining of a lot of hops and the 
passing on samples, but this does not constitute inspection 
unless each bale is tried. See inspection; also good light. 

EXCELLENT BREWING HOPS— Prime hops. See quality; 
also prime. 

EXPERT— One versed in the quality and action of hops, 
together with the requirements and customs of the trade. 

EXPORT- Fit for export shipment. 

FACE- Surfnce of the sample; also the long, narrow surface 
of the bale. See facing: also edge. 

FACING— The method sometimes employed of cleaning leaves 
and stems from the face of samples. 

FAIR BREWING HOPS— Common hops. See quality; also 
common. 

FALSE PACKED— Layers of different color or maturity m 
one bale, or diffi^rent qualities of hops baled together. 

FANCY BREWING HOPS— Choice hops. See quality, also 
choice. 

FAT— The term applied to such hops, during curing, in which 
the cores have not perceptibly started to dry. See also rich. 



274 THE HOP. 



FEATHERY— Fluffy, Berries on the vine that are not full 
or firm, and on which the petals spread. 

FIFLD BOSS— The overseer of the pickers. 

FIRST YEAR'S GROWTH— See first year's planting. 

FIRST YEAR'S PLANTING— Also called first year's growth. 
See young hops; also new. 

FLAKY— Lying in layers of full, whole berries. Perfect 
strobiles. 

FLAT— Lifeless and often scrubby, and at times cabbagy, 

FLAVOR— See good flavor. 

FLOORING— The quantity of hops put on a kiln at a single 
drying. Depths of floorings cannot be fixed. This depends upon 
the nature of the hops, capacity, or rather efficiency, of the 
kilns and the prevailing atmospheric conditions. The character 
of the hops and possible draft must govern quantity. 

FORCED DRYING— Dried too rapidly at a higher than nec- 
essary, but not scorching heat; causing loss of volatile oils and 
making the hops harsh. See harsh. 

FOREMEN— The j^ard bosses, paymasters and superintend- 
ents of the different work. These include in the eastern states 
the sacker, who empties the eight-bushel boxes of green hops 
each into a separate sack and gives pay checks. On the Pacific 
coast the box man who supervises the picking and gives pay 
tickets. The chief baler who is in charge of the presses. See 
also dryer, weigher, field boss, measurer and booker. 

FOXY — Reddish brown from over-maturity, disease or decay. 

GOING— Occasionally applied to hops that are heating. See 
heating. 

GOING OFF — Getting overripe, or beginning to show disease. 
See shattering. 

GONE— Applied to hops that have heated. See heating. 

GOOD BREWING HOPS— Medium hops. See quality, also 
medium. 

GOOD COLOR — A brilliant pale green, or a golden yellow. 
A light, bright, properly and evenly developed appearance. 

GOOD FLAVOR— The natural aroma emitted from a rich 
and mature, perfect, healthy hop berry at the time it is taken 
from the vine, after compression and rubbng between the fin- 
gers, ar\d which flavor should permeate the fresh cured hops. 

GOOD LIGHT— Hops must be examined by da- ""ht; arti- 
ficial light will not answer. A soft, clear, steel light. A veiled 
or slightly shaded (not shadowed") natural light, or what might 
be styled "an indirect sunlight" is best. The intense direct rays 
of the sun are too strong. See examination; also inspection. 

GOOD QUALITY— See quality. 

GRADE AND VALI'E— There are four mercantile divisions, 
ramelj^, choice, prime, medium (or good brewing) and com- 
mon to poor. Classification does not change, but supply and 
demand regulate relative values. 

GRADING— Classifying hops as to quality and standard. 

GRAIN— See cross-grained: also curly. 

GROSS WEIGHT- The entire weight of bales. See weights. 

GUIDES — See curing guides. 

GUMMY— Pesiroiig and not thoroughly cured. 

HARD PRESSED— Too heavily baled. It takes buoyancy, 
or sponginess. from a well-cured hop. Also called hard baled 
and heavy baled, and when over the maximum proper weight 
range of 205 pounds are called over-weights, or heavy weights, 
which latter term is also often applied to a lot of bales, the most 
of which run considerably over the ordinary average. See 
weights. 

HARSH— Wanting in oily matter. Generally flaky, and the 
berries stiff, or what could be called chippy. Usually the result 
of forced drving. 

HEAD— See top. 



APPEN"DIX. 275 



HEATING AND HEATED— Spoiled from heating. Rotting or 
rotted; usually due to insufficient drying; also possible from 
becoming wet through absorption of a large quantity of mois- 
ture, from exposure, and sul>sequent sweating with consequent 
turninsT and rotting. A heated hop is worthless. 

HEATED BERRIES— Berries heated before being put on the 
kilns. 

HEAVY BALED— See hard pressed. 

HEAVY WEIGHTS— See hard pressed. 

HIGH-DRIED— A degree of curing between over-dried and 
over-fired, which causes the running of the lupulin and loss of 
oily matter and brewing strength. High-dried hops are of a 
chaffy nature. 

HIGH-FIRED— See over-firing. 

HOP CLOTH— The burlap covering for the bales. This should 
be 24-ounce cloth, and there must be not more than is neces- 
sary to properly cover the bales. 

HOPPERS— Hop pickers; those who pluck the hops from the 
vines. 

HOPPING — The occasional practice of putting a few whole 
berries in barrels of malt liquor. 

HOPPING OUT— The transitory stage from burr to cone, or 
formation of the true hop. 

HOP, SACKS — The sacks in which the hops are taken to the 
kilns. The size varies in different localities, but should not be 
made to hold over 80 pounds green hops, which would require 
a sack about 60 inches long by 40 inches wide. See pokes; also 
under "foremen." 

HOP STEMS— See core. 

HOP YARD— Hop garden, or field of hops. 

IMMATURE— Not sufficiently ripe; indicated by green 
appearance of berry, and pale color of hop seed which when 
fully ripe is dark purple. 

IN CASE— See casing. 

IN HOP — Fully contoured strobiles in first stages of develop- 
ment of hop. 

INSPECTION — The trying and examination of every bale, 
and the passing on each bale separately. See examination; also 
good light, and try; tryer samples. 

IN THE SWEAT— See casing-. 

KILN — The house in which the hops are dried. 

KILN BOSS — The man in charge of the curing. See dryer. 

KILN CARPET— See kiln cloth. 

KILN CLOTH— The covering of the kiln floor, usually 10- 
ounce burlap. Also called kiln carpet. 

LATE HOPS— I^sed in contradistinction to early hops, where 
a grower has several varieties (including some earlies), or differ- 
ent fields that mature at differently advanced stages of the 
harvest season. 

LEADY— See dead. 

LEAVES— The leaves of the hop vine. 

LIGHT— See thin; also good light. 

LIGHT-BALED— See loose pressed. 

LIGHT WEIGHTS— See loose pressed. 

LIVELY— See spongy. 

LOOSE BALED— See loose pressed. 

LOOSE PRESSED— Not tightly enough baled. Well-cured 
hops, put up this way. and hops that are aging, lose weight 
quickly. Also called loose baled and light baled, and, when ot 
less than proper minimum weight range of 170 pounds, are 
styled light weights, a term also applied to a lot of bales, a good 
many of which run under the customary average. See weights. 

LOT— A number of bales collectively. 

LLTPULIN— The bitter, buttery, globular secretion in the 
hops— their principal virtue. In its normal condition, in healthy, 



276 THE HOP. 



properly handled, cured new hops, it has its natural brilliant 
lemon-yellow color and oily characteristics. 

MANAGEMENT— The treatment of the hops. Curing. 

MASHY— See chaffy. 

MATl^RE— The stage of development proper for picking. 
Not immature and not over-ripe. 

MEASTjRER— In English usage, the person who measures 
the green hops with a bushel basket into the pokes. See 
booker. 

MEATY— A fat, wholesome, b\it not delicate hop. 

MEDIUM HOP— A hop of good brewing quality, that may 
not be as even in color, or may not excel in distinct qualifica- 
tions as the better grades, but must be bright, fairly clean, 
safelj^ cured and well put up. See quality. 

MEIjIjOWNESS— Silkiness. See sulphuring; also casing. 

MERCHANTABLE— Sound and properly pur up. Refers to 
both contents and covering of package, or to tlie bale itself. 

MIX— A disadvisable habit some growers have of blending 
their growth in cooling room. 

MIXED L,OT— A lot containing bales of different qualities. 

MIXED COLOR— A mixture of early and late pickings, 
brought about by a deliberate and thorough mixing of the 
greener with the more mature hops. See uneven color; also off 
color. 

MIXED CTJRING— See uneven curing. 

MOTTLED— Mixed in color. Green, ripe, and over-ripe or 
wind-whipped berries baled together indiscriminately, usually 
the fault of uneven ripening. 

MOVE— Changing or tossing hops from one place in cooling 
room to another. 

MUDDY— Imperfectly developed unsightly hops full of dirt 
and sand. 

MUSTY— Foul odor. Fustiness. 

NET WEIGHT— The weight of the bales less tare allow- 
ance. See weights. 

NE^V — Hops of the latest crop in contradistinction to old 
hops. As it gets near to a harvest the term applies also to the 
growing crop. The spirit of its use and plausible intent govern 
the meaning. First year's growths are sometimes called new 
hops, to distinguish them from the product of roots that have 
produced before. See young hops. 

OASTS or OAST HOUSES— The English term for the drying 
houses. See kirns. 

OFF COLOR— Not bright; unsightly. Also used when the 
color is uneven from any cause. See dull. 

OILY or BUTTERY— Sometimes applied to hops that are 
fat and silkv. See silkv. also rich. 

OLD HOPS— All growths except the latest harvest. (See 
yearlings, also olds and old olds.") 

OLD OLDS— A general term for hops over two seasons old. 
(Bevond two vears removed from the latest harvest.) 

OLDS— Hops two seasons old. (Growth of the second year 
removed from latest harvest.) 

ORANGED— The lupnlin changed from its original yellow to 
a deeper or orange color, the effect of imperfect curing, or result 
of nsring. See luniilin. 

ORDINARY BREWING HOPS— Poor hops. See quality; also 
poor. 

OVER-DRYING— The drying of a hop for too long a period 
at a low heat. It lessens brew ng strength; that is, it lessens its 
intrinsic value. It makes a hop tender. Over-drying is less 
damaging in its effects than high-drying or over-firing. 

OVER-FIRING, as the word implies, means excess firing In 
curing process. It causes more or less evaporation of the volatile 
oils, causes crystallization of the lupulin and spoils the flavor. 
Its degree can only be determined by an -export (and this can be 



APPENDIX. 277 



said of all faults). In its worst stages it Is called burnt or 
scorched; in the lesser degrees, over-fired or high-dried. General 
over-firing may mean practically entire loss of brewing quality. 

OVER-GRADING— Classing hops at too high a quality. 
Overrating standard. See grading. 

OVER-RIPE— Over-mature; shown by the hops turning red, 
and in advanced stages by fluffiness or lack of solidity in the 
berries on the vines. 

OVER WE:IGHTS— See hard pressed. 

PACKAGE— A bale. 

PACKERS— See pack hops. 

PACKET HOPS— Hops put up for domestic uses in tightly 
compressed quarter, half and one-pound paper packages. See 
pack hops. 

PACK HOPS OR PACKERS— Hops for packets for drug- 
gists' and grocers' trade. See packet hops. 

PARCEL— A collective number of bales. See lot. 

PETALS— The leafiets of the hop; that is, the carpels or 
bracts of the strobile. 

PICK— Privilege of taking any portions of a lot, subject to 
usual inspection conditions. 

PICKINGS OR BALINGS— When the several portions of a 
yard are picked in different stages of maturity, the hops are 
kept separate accordingly in early and late, or early, middle 
and late balings (or pickings), as is necessary. 

PLATTY— The development of a yard unevenly; that is, in 
blocks, or maturing irregularly, but evenly in separate plats. 

POCKETS— An English term for bales, or, rather, pressed 
bags of cured hops, of weights varying according to locality. 

POINTING OR TIPPING- The shriveling of the extreme 
ends of the point petals, and breaking off of these tips when 
the hops have reached their fullest development. This feature, 
with dark-purple color of the seed, indicates, under normal con- 
ditions, ideal maturity. 

POLEMAN— The person delegated to pull vine poles for pick- 
ers, or, in the trellis yard, to get down — by means of a hook and 
blade attachment to a long scantling — such portions of vine and 
hops as cling to trellis wires when the vines are pulled down for 
picking. 

POKES— The English term for their hop sacks, into each of 
which 10 bushels of green hops are put. 

POOR COLOR— See off color. 

POOR HOP— Any hop having some brewing virtue, but off 
in general appearance and conditions. It must be sufficiently 
sound to stand shipment, and although it may lack in color and 
strength, must be well baled. See quality. 

POWDERED — Pulverized. This occurs in baling hops that 
have been killed on the kilns by extreme high-drying or over-fir- 
ing. Hops become chaffy and powder as they age or disinte- 
grate, but favorable storage retards this. See chaffy. 

PRIME HOP — One having most of the characteristics of 
a choice, but lackng in some point that does not affect its 
other general conditions. For instance, a prime hop may be 
choice other than to be not qviite as good in flavor, or not fully 
rich in lupulin, or not quite although fairly cleanly picked, or 
the berry instead of being firm may be tender, or the color 
may not be quite even, though fairly uniform (not far off nor 
mixed), etc. That is, some slight and single defect, but otherwise 
equal to choice. A hop sample containing several blemishes as 
above cited would, as a rule, grade only medium. See quality. 

PRIMROSE — An expression rarely used, but sometimes 
applied to a color indicating early stages of over-ripeness. 

QUALITY — To secure good quality, diligent cultivation and 
attention in the yard, and clean picking, proper curing and 
baling are essential. See choice, or what could be called fancy 
brewing hops; prime, that might be termed excellent brewing 



278 THE HOP. 



hops; medium, that are also called good brewing hops; common, 
or fair brewing hops; and poor, or ordinary brewing hops. Also 
see diseased, worthless, curing guides. 

RANK— An off colored hop with a strong, earthy, or green 
vegetable aroma. 

RE-BALED— Baled a second time. Necessary, of course, to 
re-dried hops. Also to hops that have been opened out for air- 
ing. Sometimes resorted to when the first baling was too heavy 
or too light, or the baling unmerchantable. Re-baling generally 
badly breaks the hop. See re-dried; also airing. 

RED— A name sometimes given to over-ripe hops. 

RE-DRIED— Dried a second time. Administered to hops that 
are found slack, or to hops that have become wet. A re-dr:ed 
hop cannot be a choice hop, and the operation generally results 
in very inferior quality. See re-baled. 

REEK — The vapor or steam arising from hops at the early 
stages of drying, called at times a sweat. See sweating, steam- 
ing and casing. 

RE-PACKING — The re-wrapping or replacing of the burlap 
on the bale, or the compression of several bales into one package, 
a method sometimes employed for exporting. 

RICH OR FAT— Thick in lupulin. See fat. 

ROASTED OR BURNT— Terms sometimes applied to badly 
scorched hops. 

ROUGH— Unevenly developed berries with bracts lacking In 
oil and not smooth. 

RITB— See the rub. 

RULES— See curing guides. 

RUSTED— Brown spots. A weather effect on delicate points 
and flaws of the growing hops. A blemish, but this is not 
meant as the disease known as rust. 

SACKER— See foremen. 

SACKS— See hop sacks. 

SAFE— SuflSciently dry in bale to stand either long (including 
export) shipment or compact piling and close storage. 

SAMPLES— A chunk (or, as it is called, a square sample) of 
hops, cut and drawn from side of bale, with knife and tongs. 
Advance samples, the type or shipping samples. Type 
samples, the standard for comparison of quality. Shipping 
samples, those sent to indicate style of hops shipped. Re-drawn 
samples, fresh or newly drawn samples, to show nature and con- 
dition. Samples should not be taken until the nops have set 
or become firm in bale, which takes several days after pressing. 
At inspection examination a square sample is usually taken from 
each 10th to 15th bale, depending upon size of lot, besides th*^ 
tryer samples from each bale. See tryer samples; also bulk 

SCORCHED— Burning, caused by over-firing, resulting in the 
crystallization of the lupulin and excessive loss of and injury 
to brewing quality and flavor. 

SCRUBBY— Tracking in roundness or fullness of berry, want- 
ing in solidity. Light, flat berries. 

SECOND SWEAT— See casing. 

SEEDLESS— Free or almost free of seed. 

SELECTION— The separate accepting or rejecting of each 
bale severally in a crop of hops. 

SELLING— See buying and selling. 

SHATTERING— The breaking apart of the berry. Falling 
off of the petals. Usual to hops that have gone off. Also through 
excessive drying-out in the bin after casing. See going off; also 
shelly. . ,. T^ X,- 

SHELLY— Brittle from drying out in cooling room. Rather 
shattered in baling. See casing; also shattering. 

SHIPPERS— The top quality demanded by foreign trade. 

SHOVE OFF— Act of removing the dried hops from the kiln 
floors. 



APPENDIX. 279 



SICKLY— Cured hops showing an unhealthy or darkened, 
watery discoloration of the base of the petals and of the lup- 
ulin, caused through faulty handling. 

SIDE— The broadest and largest surface of a bale. The sam- 
ples are drawn from this portion. 

SILKY— Oily feeling in a hop. A point indicating proper 
development and good condition. 

SIZE— See baling. 

SKYLIGHTS— The windows through which the light is 
reflected on the boards. 

SLACK BINE— Shortage of lateral arms and foliage. 

SLACK-DRIED or SLACKNESS— See slack. 

SLACK OR UNDER-DRYING— A slack hop is one that is 
under-dried, not sufficiently dry. Hops in this condition heat or 
sour, depending on the degree of slackness and storage condi- 
tions. Heating, which virtually means rotting, may be occa- 
sioned by even a bunch as little as a handful of slack hops, and 
once started, usually affects the entire bale, and even commu- 
nicates to surrounding bales if closely stored. See heating or 
heated; also sour and cold. 

SLACKISH— Slightly slack. These hops usually sour. See 

SLACK-SCORCHED -Hops dried at too high a temperature 
and not dried through. Burning them without drying them, 
so that while they have a scorched flavor, they may still sour or 
heat in cooling bin or bale. Often the fault of too many hops 
being on the kiln for its capacity. See slack. 

SLEAZY— Thin in texture, wanting in vitality and brewing 
strength; flimsy. 

SMOKY— Smoky smell that the hops take when the kiln fur- 
nace or pipes are defective and allow smoke to escape through 
the hops. 

SMOTHERED — Inappropriate casing, resulting from inade- 
quate airing of hops in cooling room. Usually due to too heavy 
packing, causing loss of brilliancy and effecting early disintegra- 
tion or aging. 

SMUDGED— Incipient heating arrested. Berries indicating 
that they had started to heat and cooled off. 

SOET— Delicate to the eye and touch, and usually mild of 
flavor. Yielding to easv pressure. 

SOGGY— Very wet or slack. See slack. 

SOUND— Not slack; in a safe condition. 

SOURING — A hop generally sours or takes a seur flavor 
when not properly ventilated in cooling rooms (when too 
heavily piled), while going through case, and generally, if prop- 
erly dried, when baled too soon; that is. "nefore completely 
cured. A slackish hop in bale will sour if it does not heat. Con- 
dition of storage affects the extent of damage at times. See 
storage; also cold. 

SPINDLING— Thin, straggling, light-foliaged, unproductive 
or small bearing vines. 

SPONGY— Springy to the touch, full of life. A good point and 
essential to a first-class hop. Also called lively. 

SPOTTED--Berry showing uneven development of color. 
Petals of different color in same berry. 

SPRAYING— Squirting washes on the vines through spraying 
machines, to avert the appearance or stop the spread of vermin 
or disease. 

SPRAYING DAMAGE— Injury created by the spraying wash, 
caused generally by washes that are too powerful, or by apply- 
ing same at wrong stage. 

STEAMING— Emitting volumes of moisture. This occurs to 
the hops in the kiln at the earlier stages of drying. See the 
reek; also sweating. 

STEMS— The twigs from the lateral arms (consisting of the 
peduncle, petioles and pedicels), which should not be picked. 



280 THE HOP. 



See core, or hop stem. 

STFWED OR COOKED— A condition due to inadequate over- 
head drafts in kilns, causing the moisture supercharged air or 
reek to fall back on the drying hops. 

STIR— Some growers stir instead of turning their hops by 
walking through or rather dragging their feet with a shuffling 
motion along the kiln floors through the batches of drying hops. 

STORAGE— Should be clean, dry and dark, away from mois- 
ture and foreign odors. Hops while in transit are in a poor con- 
dition of storage, due to the extreme and oppressive heat gener- 
ated in cars and vessels. 

STOUT— Rich in lupulin and of good flavor. 

STOWAGE — An English expression for cooling room. 

STRAWY— The cut edge of a sample of broken or scrubby 
hops that lack in oily matter, and have a straw-like appear- 
ance. 

STREAKY— See cabbagv. 

STRIPPING— The removing of the foliage (branches and 
leaves) from the lower portion of the main vine. 

STROBILE— See berry. 

STRONG— Full flavor. 

STTLPHURING — Burning sulphur at the kiln furnaces, so 
that the fumes pass through the drying hops. It has a three- 
fold effect; it opens the hops, thus helping to keep them loose, 
whicn assists the draft: it modifies or evens ttie color of the 
hops; and it has a preserving tendency by promoting mellowness. 
See casing. It should be employed at the proper stage, and 
that is from the time the hops on the kiln have become warm 
until thev have finished steaming. See bleaching. 

SUN SCALD— The weakening of the vine and injury to or 
curtailment of the crop, through protracted Intense heat during 
the developing period of growth, before the true hops have 
formed. ^ , . ^„^ 

SWEATING— Sometimes used in the sense of heatmg. Often 
for the reek. Also applied to casing, which is at times called the 
second sweat. 

SWEEPINGS- The refuse from floors swept mto the press, 
making such bales inferior. 

TARE— The customary allowance or deduction in weight for 
baling cloth. 

TENDER— Soft; delicate to the touch. 

THE RUB— The feeling and action of a hop between the 
fingers or hands in examination. 

THICKNESS— An English term employed in passing on the 
quantity of lupulin; richness. 

THIN— Lacking in lupulin; wanting in brewing strength. 
Also called light, or weak. .-,.,. 

TINTED— Touched with a faint pinkish color, indicating the 
turning point to over-maturing. This feature is desirable. An 
indistinct blush, not too pronounced, or it would mean over- 
ripeness. 

TIPPING— See pointing. 

TONGS— A tool for taking square samples from a bale. 

TOP CROP— The growth of hops running principally to the 

extreme end (top> of the vines, due to less than ordinary 

branching or arm.ing, and indicating a lighter than normal yield. 

TOP OR HEAD— The smallest surface of a bale. 

TOUGH— A tenacious condition that the cores of the hops 
are in at a certain stage of curing. A number of tough stems 
in baled hops are an indication of slackness. 

TOUGH STEMS— Tenacious "hop stems;" strigs that are not 
brittle; incompletely cured cores. 

TRAMPING— The light compression of the hops in the 
presses, to permit more hops being added for proper weight 
of bale before actual power is applied through the follower 
attachment of the press. 



APPENDIX. 281 



TRY — The probing with tryer. The examination of each 
bale singly. See examination, also inspection, and good light. 

TRYER— A harpoon-shaped instrument used in inspecting 
each bale, and which brings out a handful of hops. See try. 

TRYER SAMPLES OR TRYING S— The handful of hops 
taken from the center and sometimes from several parts of each 
bale, with the tryer, by the inspector. See sample, also good 
light, and inspection 

TRYINGS— See tryer samples. 

TURN OR TURNING— Some growers upset or turn their 
hops on the kiln floor after several hours' drying. A hop is said 
to be turning when aging. Also said of hops that are heating or 
heated. See soviring. 

UNDER-DRYING— See slack. 

UNDER-GRADING— Underrating quality. Classifying below 
proper standard. See grading. 

UNEVEN COLOR— Not a uniform color; a mixture of differ- 
ently colored but fairly developed berries. See mixed color; also 
off color. 

UNEVEN CURING AND MIXED CURING— Uneven drying 
of hops, caused by too heavy floorings; that is, too great a 
depth of hops on kilns, or through faulty kiln construction and 
improper drafts, so that in order to dry part of the hops properly 
those in another section of the k In are either over or under- 
dried. In such cases it is uneven curing. Where the kilns work 
properly and growers dry some floorings to different degrees 
than others and mix them in bin and bale it is mixed curing. 

ITNSAFE— See unsound 

UNSOUND OR UNSAFE— Not sound; slack or slackish. 

USEFLTL— Not particularly fine, nor sightly, but of good 
brewing quality. 

VALUE — See grade and value. 

VARIEGATED— Mixed in color; checkered. See mottled. 

VERMIN DAMAGE— Injury to the growing crop, caused by 
pests and the resulting damage of which is apparent in the hop. 

WEAK— See thin. 

WEIGHER— The yard boss, who has charge of pickers, 
weighs the hops and gives credit, or pay-checks, for them. 

WEIGHTS— Bales should weigh from 170 to 205 pounds gross 
weight and should average not less than IFO pounds net weight. 
Unless otherwise stated all transactions imply net weight. See 
loose pressed, hard pressed, bales, baling. 

WIND-WHIPPED— The tips and outer leaves of berries 
bruised, withered and discolored, caused by wind shaking and 
hitting. ; 

WOODY — Abounding in vegetable fiber and harsh. 

WORTHLESS — Hops that cannot even be classed poor; that 
is, those that are spoiled through bad handling or disease. There 
is always a lot of this valueless trash. See qual'ty. 

YARD BOSSES— Those in charge of the picking. See foremen. 

YEARLINGS— Hops of the next to the latest harvest. (On 
the Pacific coast young hops are sometimes erroneously called 
yearlings.) 

YOUNG HOPS— Hops of first year's planting; i. e. .from vines 
of the first growth after the sets or cuttings have been planted 
for a crop; infrequently called baby hops. See new. 



RULES REGULATING THE HOP TRADE 

AMONG MEMBERS OF THE KEW YORK PRODUCE EXCHANGE. 

[Adopted March 1, 1S83, and amended September 27, 1889.] 

Rule 1.— At the first meeting of the Board of Managers, 
after their election, the president shall (subject to the approval 
of the Board) appoint as a committee on hops, five members 
of the New York Produce Exchange, who are known to be deal- 
ing in hops, to consist of two brewers and three dealers. It 
shall be the duty of this committee to properly discharge the 
obligations imposed upon them by these rules, and also to con- 
sider and decide all disputes arising between members dealing 
in, consuming, or exporting hops, which may be submitted to 
them. 

A majority of the committee shall constitute a quorum, but 
the committee shall fill temporary vacancies, if requested by 
either party, by some member or members representing the 
same interest as the absent member or members, and a decision 
of a majority of those present at any meeting shall be final. 
They shall keep a record of their proceedings, and a fee of 
fifteen dollars ($15) shall bo paid to the committee for each 
reference case heard by them— to be paid by the party adjudged 
to be in fault, unless otherwise ordered by the committee; pro- 
vided, however, that nothing herein shall prevent a settlement 
of questions of difference by private arbitration, or as provided 
in the by-laws. 

Rule 2.— All transactions In American hops only between 
members of the Produce Exchange shall be governed by the 
following rules, but nothing herein shall be construed as inter- 
fering in any way with the right cf members to make such 
special contracts or conditions as they may desire. 

Rule 3.— All hops shall he deliverable In merchantable bales. 
When a certain number of pounds are sold, number of bales 
not specified net weight shall be understood. 

Rule 4.— When specific lots are sold by sample, or other- 
wise, and are ready for immediate delivery, any bale weighing 
not less than 170 poimds, nor more than 205 pounds, shall be 
considered a good delivery. 

Rule 5.— When hops are sold for future delivery, and the 
weights of the bales have not been ascertained at the time of 
sale, a good delivery shall be a sufRcient number of bales to 
effect a delivery of the number of bales sold, at an average of 
not less than 180 pounds, nor more than 190 pounds, gross 
w'eight. 

Rule 6.— On all New York state hops, an allowance of five 
pounds per bale shall be made as tare, in conformity with 
Chapter 239, laws of 1889. 

Rule 7 — In the absence of any specific agreement, the seller 
shall have the right to demand payment at the time of passing 
the title. 

Rule S.— Whenever sales are made -uetween memhers or the 
Produce Exchange through a broker who is not a member of 
the exchange, a written memorandum of the transaction is to 
be exchanged bv the principals before the sale is binding. 

282 



RULES. 283 



Rule 9.— Hops sold for immediate delivery must be inspected 
on the day succeeding' the sale. Hops sold for future delivery 
must be inspected on the day succeeding the notice of delivery. 

Rule 10. — If upon inspection it shall be found that any lot, 
or part of a lot, of hops shall not conform with the contract, 
the buyer shall take all which do conform to the contract, ana 
the seller shall replace the lot, or part of a lot, rejected with 
other hops of as good a quality, and for this purpose the seller 
shall have 10 days to replace and tender hops to fill the original 
contract; but if a specific lot is sold by sample the buyer shall 
take all which are up to sample, and he shall have the privilege 
of taking the rejections at a reduction to be agreed upon be- 
tween seller and buyer, or to be settled by arbitration. 

Rule 11. — Hops shall be weighed (unless otherwise agreed 
upon) by a city weigher, whose return shall be taken as the 
correct weights of the bales. Weigher's fees to be divided by 
buyer and seller equally. 

Rule 12.— All hops shall be removed at the buyer's expense 
within two days after receiving the invoice (weather permit- 
ting), and until then the seller is to hold the same fully cov- 
ered by insurance at invoice value. 

Rule 13. — When hops are sold to arrive and to be inspected 
on dock, the buyer shall, after inspection and order for de- 
livery being given, assume the same relation toward the trans- 
portation line by which the hops arrived, as the seller previ- 
ously held as regards their removal from the place of delivery 
within the time granted by such lines for that purpose. 

Rule 14.— Rules 3, 4, 5 and 6 shall apply only to the crop of 
1S83 and subsequent crops. 

Rule 15. — A carload of hops shall be understood to contafn 
not less than 10,000, or more than 13,000 pounds. 



BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

The Curiosities of Ale and Beer, John Bickerdyke; 
London, 1889. 

Twenty-five Years of Brewing and History of Ameri- 
can Beer, George Ehret; New York, 1891. 

The London and Country Brewer, printed for T. Ast- 
ley; London, 1758-59. 

Hops and Hopping, John B. Marsh; London, 1892. 

Root Glowing and the Cultivation of Hops, Arthur 
Roland, edited by William H. Ablett; London, 1887. 

Hops, their Cultivation, Commerce and Uses in Various 
Countries; a manual of reference for the grower, dealer 
and brewer, P. L. Simmonds; London, 1877. 

Hop Culture in the United States, being a practical 
treatise on hop growing in Washington territory, from the 
cutting to the bale, E. Meeker; Puyallup, Wash., 1883. 

Diseases of Plants Induced by Cryptogamic Parasites, 
Tubeuf and Smith; London, 1897. 

Diseases of Plants, H. Marshall Ward (contains a de- 
tailed popular description of mildew) ; New York, 1890. 

Insects and Fungous Enemies of the Hop Vine, Charles 
Whitehead; Journal of the Royal Society of England series 
3, 1893, pp. 240-247. 

Methods of Preventing and Checking Attacks of Insects 
and Fungi, Charles Whitehead; London, 1891. 

Annual Report of the Board of Agriculture, Charles 
Whitehead; London, 1890, p. 24. 

Hop Cultivation, Charles Whitehead; London. 1893. 

Handbook for Hop Growers, a guide to the practical cul- 
ture of hops (German), E. D. Strebel; Stuttgart, Ger- 
many, 1887. 

Hop Cultivation (German), C. Beckenhaupt; Weissen- 
burg, Germany, 1890. 

A beautiful set of photographic plates, each 36 by 23 
ctms., was prepared in Germany by Dr. M. Braungart, and 
published in 1881-2. Not less than 429 "varieties" of hops 
are illustrated in the 37 plates. The hops are shown in life- 
size and from all parts of the world. The old edition is 
out of print, but copies are in many libraries in Europe. 
A new edition is expected in 1901 that ought to be in every 
agricultural college and other important libraries in 
America. 

Hop Culture, practical details as given by ten experi- 
enced cultivators residing in the hop-growing sections in 
the United States, collected by Orange Judd Company, 
edited by A. S. Fuller; New York, 1883. 

284 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 

A section of hop pickers starting their work. Frontispiece 

Fig-. Page. 

1. Three-hundred acre hop field nearly ready to pick . . 10 

2. Commencement of pole stack 12 

3. New York hop yard 14 

4. Hop harvest in New York state IV 

5. Southern Oregon hop yard, ready to pick ... 20 

6. Hop yard two miles long at Horstville, Cal. . . . 24 

7. Branch of male hop vine 26 

S. Female vine, showing flowers 27 

9. Branch of female hops 28 

10. Grains of lupulin 29 

11. Female cluster newly set .30 

12. Single female flower 30 

13. Cross-sectional longitudinal view of female hop . . 31 

14. Various shapes of hops 33 

15. Kentish hops 34 

16. Kentish cluster hops . 37 

17. Fuggles, Kent .40 

18. Bates's brewers, Kent 43 

19. Rear view of 12 kilns, Pleasanton, Cal .... 46 

20. Climbing tendril of hop vine 48 

21. Largest hop kiln in the world under one cover . . 53 

22. Hop harvest in Madison Co., N. Y 55 

23. Partly picked hop yard, Cal 57 

24. Hop fields near Cooperstown, N. Y GO 

25. Tank for dipping hop poles to prevent rot ... 62 

26. Hop pickers in Washington 66 

27. Picking hops in Kent, Eng 68 

28. Picking hops 70 

29. Irrigating hops 75 

30. Yard on the short pole system 78 

31. Trainins hons in Kent 81 

32. Horizontal hop yard, N. Y 82 

33. Otsego grub hoe . 84 

34. Twine pole 85 

35. Kentish wire trellis 86 

36. Kentish hop vards 87 

37. Hop root stock . 88 

38. Hop vine stock for transplanting 90 

39. Hop stock 91 

40. Tools for making holes for setting poles .... 92 

41. Forms of hop knives 94 

42. Plants untrimmed and trimmed 95 

43. Yard pegged out for planting 96 

44. American grub hooks ...» 98 

45. Foreign hop tools 100 

46. Tying knot 101 

47. Hop garden in Kent 102 

48. Picking hops grown on strings and trellis, Cal. , . 104 

49. Orchard cultivator 106 

50. Pleasanton trellis, side and end views .... 107 

51. Starting out to "string" a wire trellis .... 108 

52. Trellis system used at Pleasanton 110 

53. One-horse shovel plow Ill 

54. Indian hop pickers at dinner, Cal 112 

55. Spraying outfit, British Columbia hop yard . . . 114 

285 



2^6 



THE HOP. 



Fig. Page. 

56. Hop plant louse, true female 116 

57. " " " stem mother 116 

58. " " " first immigrant 118 

59. '■' " " male 120 

60. Hop plant louse and eggs 121 

61. Aphidine parasite of hop plant louse i23 

62. Cynipid parasite of hop plant louse 125 

68. Hop grub 127 

64. Hop vine snout moth 131 

65. Interrogation butterfly 132 

66. Comma butterfly 133 

67. Zebra b^Jtterfly 134 

68. Woolly bear caterpillar ... .... 135 

69. Saddleback caterpillar 136 

70. Hop vine leaf hopper 137 

71. Striped fiea-beetle 139 

72. "Red spider" or spinning mite 140 

73. Needle-nosed hop bug 143 

74. "Scars" on hop vine 144 

75. An eelworm disease of hops 145 

76. Threads of hyphae of hop mold 147 

77. Ascocarps of "hop mold" 148 

78. Single ascocarp 150 

79. Growing pineapples or tobacco under sheds in Florida 156 

80. Step-ladder 158 

81. Scene in Kentish hop yard 160 

82. Indian pickers' lodges, Cal 161 

83. Hop bin frame, N. Y 163 

84. Picking bin, N. Y. . . . 164 

85. Hop picking check 166 

86. Pickers' weight memorandum 167 

87. "Set" for four pickers 168 

88. Weighing hops . 169 

89. Elevating hops to kiln 171 

90. Tent training 173 

91. Improved English oast 174 

92. Section of group of kilns and cooling room ... 176 

93. Ground floor of kilns and cooling room .... 176 

94. Elevation of the common hop kiln 178 

95. Ground plan of hop kiln , . 179 

96. Second floor of hop kiln 179 

97. Draft hop kiln 180 

98. Section of cowl to draft kiln 182 

99. Ground plan of kiln . - 183 

100. Plan of drying floor 184 

101. Improved France kiln 186 

102. Details of kiln construction 187 

103. Support for hot-air pipe 189 

104. Stove for kiln, front view 190 

105. Hop baling press 192 

106. Elevation of hop house, N. Y 193 

107. Ground plan of hop house 194 

108. Section of hop house , 195 

109. Shovel and brush for use in kiln 197 

110. Elevation of double kiln, N. Y. . , • . . . 198 

111. Ground plan of double kiln 199 

J12. Car at kiln to receive hops 200 

113, Harris hop press .201 

114, Press with front removed 202 

115, Pleasanton hop kiln, front elevation 203 

116, Side elevation of kilns 204 

117, Detail of hopper . , o 205 

118, Arrangement of heating pipes and drums .... 206 

119, Pleasanton kilns and coolers 208 

120, Ground plan of Pleasanton establishment , .210 

121, Cooling house for hops 212 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 



287 



Pig. 

122. 
123. 
124. 
125. 
126. 
127. 
128. 
129. 
130. 
131. 
132. 
133. 
1.34. 
J 35. 
136. 
137. 



Cooler— end elevation .... 

Circular kiln. Montgomery Co., N. Y. 
Improved kilns and warehouse of iron 
A glimpse of Kentish oast houses 
Loading bags of hops for the kiln 

Interior of hop kiln 

P.ohemian hops from imported roots . 
Washington hop kilns in King Co., near Auburn 
Hop kilns, Pleasanton . . . . . 



Bavarian hops grown at Horstville, from imported roots 2.38 



Scene in English oast nouse .... 

Trainload of hops leaving Horstville, Cal. 
Picking .golden clusters . . ... 

East Kent Goldings ...... 

Picked yard at left, unpicked at right 
Homemade hop oress 



Page. 

213 
215 
216 
218 
221 
223 
226 
231 
236 



241 
242 
244 
246 
248 
255 



288 ADVERTISEMENTS. 

Louis A. Horst 
E. Clemens Horst 



HORST BROTHERS, 



Growers and Dealers 



CHOIOEI 



HOPS AND BARLEY. 



Hop Ranches at 



HuKSTViLLE, Bear River, California. 
Ukiah, Russian River, California. 
Salem, Willamette River, Oregon. 
EoLA, Willamette River, Oregon. 
Agassiz, Fraser River, British Columbia. 



Main Offices : ^S^.'^ 

24 Southwark St., S. E., London, England. Horsum. 

122 Battery St., San Francisco, California. IIokst. 

212 Commercial St., Salem, Oregon. " 

20 State St., New York, N. Y. 

172 Washington St., Chicago, 111. « 



Codes Used: 



"A. B. C." 

"A. I." 

" MEYERS." 

"ATLANTIC." 



INDEX 



Acrea<?-e in United States 

world's, 1S90-'S7 . 
Australia, hop area in 
Austria-Hun.^ary, culture 
Bales, marking- 
shaping- . 

sacking for . 

weig-ht of 
Baling, methods of . 
Beer, influence of hops on 

production, 1S65-1S90 

relative consumption 
Belgium, foreign trade of 
Bibliography 
Bine, clinibing tendril of 
Brewers, views of . 
British Columbia, cost of g- 
Brush for kiln . 
California, cost of growing: 

first hops in ... 

methods .... 

soil conditions in 
Chemistry of hops (Ewell) 
Clark, James F. 

methods of . 
Climate, best for hops . 
Coolers, construction of 
Cooling, time required . 
Co-operation of growers 
Crops and prices, lS74-'97 
Crops of the world, lS9(J-'97 
Crops used with hops . 
Cultiv^ation second year 
Cultivator, use of . 
Curing, deep "floor" 

fuel for .... 

German method 

"nattiral cure" . 

object of . . . 

temperature for 

time required 
Diseases, eel worm . 

fungus .... 

hop-mold 

mildew .... 
England, average yearly e 

crops compared 

expense of culture in 

foreign trade of, 188S-'96 

hop area in . 

v^ariety of soils . 
Ensilage, hop vine 
Estimates by growers 

19 



rowmg 
hop", i. 



xpenses 



hops in 



Page. 

265 

265 

4 

3 

206 

205 

203 

206 

232, 204 

54 

267 

267 

267 

284 

48 

49 

258 

199 

256 

8 

98 

63 

54 

8 

99 

61 

212 

199 

234 

264 

264 

94 

94 

101 

194 

191 

75, 199 

175 

195 

207 

195 

147 

148 

148 

155 

250 

266 

249 

266 

4 

64 

21 

251 



289 



HANS C. WAHLBERG 

Cable Address, " Wahlberg." Portland, Oregon, U. S. A. 

DEALER IN 




(290) 



Trade 




HANS C. WAHLBERG 

REFERENCES: — Any bank and respectable businessman in 
Portland, Ore., and a long list of well-known representative Hop 
dealers in the Eastern States, Canada and abroad, who have been my 
customers for years. 

Samples forwarded and quotations given on application. Cor- 
respondence respectfully solicited. My private Cable Code mailed 
to any prospective customer who may want it. 

CODES USED:— My private code, A. B. C. (4th Edition), J. 
K. Armsby's, U. S. Cipher Code. 

Branch offices and sub-agents in every Hop section of Oregon 
and Washington. 

I have a big Hop farm of my own wherefrom I harvest about 
500 bales of'Hops of choice quality every year. 

HANS C. WAHLBERG, 

PORTLAND, OREGON, U. S. A. 

(201) 



292 ADVERTISEMENTS. 



LILIENTHAL 
BROTHERS, 

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102 Broad St., Neu) York, 0. S. fl. 
24 SoUfhuiark St., S. E., London, Eng. 



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MAIN OFFICE: 

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Representativ es in all CALIFORNIA, OREGON 
and WASHINGTON HOP CENTERS. 



INDEX. 293 



Page. 

Expenses and profits, in British Columbia 258 

in California ... 250 

in England 250 

in Germany, 249 

in King Co., Wash 258 

in Madison Co., N. Y 252 

in northern Ohio 254 

in Otsego Co. , N. Y 251,253 

in Polk Co., Ore 257 

in St. Lawrence Co., N. Y 254 

in Washington Co., Ore 256 

in Yamhill Co., Ore 257 

Export demand, influence on prices 232 

value by months, lSS'9-'98 263 

Exports from New York city 233 

from New York, lS90-'97 261 

of domestic hops, 1889-'98 263 

Fertilizers 69 

commerciul 73, 76 

English 77 

form.iilas 76 

lime 74 

nitrogen 75 

phosphoric acid 73 

potash 73 

stable manure 72 

substances required 71, 74 

Fertilizing constituents • 59 

Fish-oil soap 124 

Flint, Daniel 8 

France, industry in 3 

German hop growers' association 268 

Germany, curing in 175 

expense of culture in 249 

foreign trade of, 18S3-"96 266 

plantations in 2 

soil. 65 

Grades, mixed 228 

recognized in markets ......... 219 

Grading, a "choice" hop 224 

color test in ......... . 223 

disagreement in . . 222 

Hop dictionary 269-281 

exchange 234 

extract 239 

Hops, botanical analyses of 30 

composition of 51, 52, 54, 59 

from seed 89 

per barrel of beer 264 

properly cured 1^6 

quality in . 38, 45, 220 

quotations in foreign currency 268 

re-sulphured 217 

seedless .... 231 

"slack-dried" 197, 230 

smudged . 19'> 

uses of aside from beer 19 

weight of bale 264 

yield per acre 249 

Horst Brothers, contracts 243 

experiments by ... . 245 

tireproof kilns 247 

hydraulic compress 247 

irrigation 245 

methods of 243 



294: 



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INDEX. 297 



Page. 

Horstville ranch, freedom from vermin 245 

Industry, artificial conditions affecting 15 

natural conditions affecting ....... 13 

Insects, affecting' hops '. . . . 113 

caterpillars 130, 136 

cynipidae 122 

flea-beetles 139 

hop grub 128 

hop merchants 131 

hop plant louse 115 

hop-vine snout moth 130 

lace-winged flies 121 

lady-bird beetles 121, 146 

leaf hoppers 137 

needle-nosed hop-bug 143 

red spider 139 

saddle-back caterpillar 135 

syrphus flies 121 

woolly bear caterpillar 134 

zebra caterpillar ... 133 

Irrigation 69 

Kent, introduction into 1 

Kerosene emulsion 124 

Kiln, cohstruction of . . . 178, 187, 194, 195, 203, 204, 205, 206 

cowl for 181 

Kilns, drying stove for 188 

fireproof 247 

in N. Y. state 179 

on Pacific coast 185 

Liupulin 51, 58 

composition of 52 

extracting the - . 239 

Machine, hop-picking 173 

Markers 80 

Maturity, dates of 44 

Mold washes 154 

New York, rules regulating hop trade in 282 

New York state, cost of hops in 251 

condition of soil 64 

first yard in 4 

growth of industry in 6 

largest yard 8 

Oast houses, English 177 

Oregon, cost of growing hops in 256 

hop lands in 64 

hidustry in 9 

Packing, foreign method of 199 

Pickers' checks 166, 167 

handling 171 

prices paid 163, 168 

rules for 165 

Picking, care in 163 

methods 172 

preliminary work 159 

time of 161 

Plant, "dressing" of 95 

food removed from soil .' . . 71 

fenfiale 25 

food removed by 71 

growth of 69 

male 25 

sex in 23 

Planting, best time for 93 

methods of 91 



298 IKDEX. 



Page. 

Pleasanton Hop Company, clearing 105 

clearing wires Ill 

covering 106 

cross-plowing 106 

cultivation ... 106 

grubbing ' 105 

hilling up Ill 

kilns 185 

plowing 105 

pruning 105 

resetting 106 

setting out yard 112 

stringing 109 

training 109 

trellis 106 

tuckering Ill 

Plows, use of . . 101 

Poles, after harvest 173 

number to hill 81, 82 

setting 83 

Press 183 

homemade 255 

Prices, at New York 263 

average monthly at New York. 1874-'96 261 

fluctuations at New York, 1874-"98 262 

fluctuations of 18 

uncertainty of 233 

Properties, bittering principles 56 

narcotics 52 

resin 58 

tannic acid 56 

Quality, descriptive terms 220 

means of testing 219 

Receipts at New York, 1890-'97 261 

Resin wash 124 

Root, for transplanting 90 

Roots 25 

Russia, hop area in 4 

Sample, perfect 227 

selling by 228 

Sampling 225 

Scorching, by sun 157 

Seeds, in Germany 52 

Selling, best time for 232 

Shed 158 

Shovel for kiln 198 

Soil, best for hops 62 

preparatory working of . . . 68 

subsoiling 67 

under draining 67 

well drained . . . , 67 

Specvilating in hops 233 

Spraying, after frost 155 

for caterpillars 130 

for hop louse 122 

formula .... 124, 126, 130, 142 

in Oregon 142 

in Washington , 141 

outfit 126 

Storage, cold 237 

Store room 237 

Storing, loss of properties in 239 

protection from atmosphere 237 

Strobile 29 

Sulphur, for hop mold 153 



INDEX. 



299 



Sulphuring, methods of 

reasons for . 
Taxation of hops and beer 
Terms used in hop trade 
Tobacco, for hop yards 
Tools, grub liooks 
Training 
Tryer 
Twining 
Tying vines 
United States, acreage and 

census of crop, 1S50-'90 

crops compared . 

foreign trade, 1890-'96 

ranlv of hop sections in 
Varieties, Canada Red . 

European ... 

in California 

in England ... 

in New York 

in Oregon 
Vines, climbing nature of 

disposing of old 

motion of . . . 
Washington, cost of growing 

culture in . 

methods of culture in 
Wind, effect on plants . 
Wind lews .... 
Wiring in England . 
Wisconsin, culture in . 
World's acreage 

acreage. 1890-'?7 . 

hop crops, 1890-'97 

protection and consumption 

supply .... 
Yard, distance of plants 

hills per acre 

laying out . 

location of . . . 



values 



ops 



1884-'92 



Page. 

213 

214 

16 

269-281 

144 

95 

83 

229 

83 

102 

265 

265 

266 

266 

265 

41 

44 

42 

38 

40 

43 

28 

173 

27 

258 

9 

97 

157 

157 

85 

8 

2 

265 

264 

267 

11 

79 

79 

80 

65 



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wlio has never kept a sheep, may learn from its pages how to 
manage a flock successfully, and yet so complete that even the ex- 
perienced shepherd may gather many suggestions from it. The 
results of pei'sonal experience of some years with the characters 
of the vai'ious modern breeds of sheep, and the sheep raising capa- 
bilities of many i)ortions of our extensive territory and that of 
Canada — and the careful study oF the diseases to which our sheep 
are chiefly subject, with those by which they may eventually be 
afflicted through nnforseen accidents — as well as the methods of 
management called for under our circumstances, are carefully 
described. By Henry Stewart. Illustrated. Cloth, 12mo. 1.50 

Wri§:ht's Practical Poultry-Keeper. 

By L. Wright. A complete and standard guide to the management 
of poultry, for domestic use, tlie markets or exhibition. It suits at 
once the plain poulterer, who must make the business pay, and the 
chicken fancier whose taste is for gay plumage and strange, bright 
birds. Illustrated. Cloth, 12mo. $2.00 

Harris on the Pi§:. 

New Edition. Revised and enlarged by the author. The points of 
the various English and American breeds are thoroughly discussed, 
and the great advantage of using thoroughbred males clearlj 
shown. The work is equally valuable to the farmer who keeps but 
few pigs, and to the breeder on an extensive scale. By Joseph 
Harris. Illustrated. Cloth, 12mo. 1.50 

The Farmer's Veterinary Adviser. 

A guide to the Prevention and Treatment of Disease in Domestic 
Animals. Tliis is one of the best works on this subject, and is es- 
pecially designed to supply the need of the busy American Farm 
er, wlio can rarely avail himself of the advice of a Scientific Veter 
inarian. It is brought up to date and treats of the Prevention ol 
Disease as well as of the Remedies. By Prof. Jas. Law. Cloth. 
Crown, 8vo. 3.00 

Dadd's American Cattle Doctor. 

By George H. Dadd, M. D., Veterinary Practitioner. To help every 
man to be his own cattle-doctor; giving tlie necessary information 
for preserving the health and curing the diseases of oxen, cow.s^ 
sheep and swine, with a great variety of original recipes, and val 
uable information on farm and dairy management. Cloth, 12mo. 1.5C 

Cattle Breeding:. 

By Wm. Warfield. This work is by common consent the most 
valuable and pre-eminently practical treatise on cattle-breeding 
ever published in America, being the actual experience and ol> 
servance of a practical man. Cloth, 12mo. 8.00 

BD 19 5. 






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